The Secret Talker: A Novel

Written by Geling Yan

Narrated by Angela Lin

""The Secret Talker is a profound meditation on love, the difficulties of communication and the agonizing joy and brutality of commitment."" -- THE NEW YORK TIMES

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLER OF 2021 AND ""GLOBETROTTING"" PICK!

A woman reclaims her own story in this taut and wholly original literary tale from one of China’s literary superstars.

Hongmei is the perfect Chinese wife: beautiful, diligent, passive. Glen is the perfect American husband: intelligent, caring, well-off. From the outside, Hongmei and Glen's life in the San Francisco Bay Area seems perfect. But at home, their marriage is falling apart. Post-its left on the fridge are their primary form of communication.  

When Hongmei receives a beguiling email from a secret admirer, naturally she’s intrigued. But what starts out as harmless flirting with an internet stranger quickly turns into an all-consuming emotional affair. As Hongmei spills more and more about her dark past as a military intelligence officer-in-training in China, she falls deeper and deeper into a tense cat-and-mouse game. Desperate and self-destructive, she embarks on an investigation into her emailer’s secret history…one that may tear her life and marriage apart forever.

A psychological story at its core, The Secret Talker elegantly examines how repressed desire and simmering silence can upend even the most idyllic marriage. As Hongmei pursues her stalker, her identity and agency come into question, and the chase curveballs into a captivating journey of self-actualization. Yan Geling pierces the human psyche to reveal devastating and emotional truths – and an ending that will leave readers speechless.

Translated from the Chinese by Jeremy Tiang

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063004061

Geling Yan

Yan Geling is one of the most acclaimed contemporary novelists and screenwriters writing in the Chinese language today. Born in Shanghai, she served with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), starting at age twelve as a dancer in an entertainment troupe. She is the author of numerous novels, short stories, novellas, essays, and scripts. Yan is fluent in English and her best-known novels in the West are The Banquet Bug (published in the UK as The Uninvited) and The Lost Daughter of Happiness (translated by Cathy Silber), as well as the novella and short story collection White Snake and Other Stories (translated by Lawrence A. Walker). She lives in Berlin, Germany. 

Reviews for The Secret Talker

[Paul · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing and very well written, this short novel touches on many themes. These include cultural and social identity, the impact of trauma on relationships, self deception and its relation to the deception of others, and the ways in which all these things can conspire to corrode or destroy romantic relationships and the individual psyches of those in them.

The novel is much more an exploration of character, particularly that of Hongmei , than an unfolding of tightly structured plotlines. I don't think this should be tagged as a "thriller." That said, the final reveal tempted me to reread/re-listen.The form of the novel is epistolary-- using emails to disclose secrets that have the potential to destroy or heal Hongmei as she bares her soul to an anonymous online interlocutor, losing her grip in the process. He or she appears to be stalking Hongmei, so detailed is their knowledge of her daily life. This "secret speaker" also has an uncanny knack for getting into Hongmei's head, as if s/he knows much about what makes Hongmei tick. Though the ending is abrupt, and we do not learn the ultimate fate of the characters, there is room for hope of a more meaningful and honest relationship than the protagonist has known in the past.

A unique and compelling--if imperfectly executed-- novella. Readers with an interest in psychology and/or intercultural issues will probably find much food for thought here. Rating: 4 1/2

[narvois.alicija · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought it was ok. Nothing special. Ending was a bit hard to understand

[Astrid · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Perfect Chinese wife "passive". 2021 and yet the stereotypes still persists ???

[pomo58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Secret Talker by Geling Yan is a novella that rewards a second read while the first read is still fresh in your mind. While grouped in some places with mysteries and thrillers this is more of a psychological study that uses a tension-producing frame with which to tell the story. For me, this worked very well.I understand that some people have to like a protagonist in order to like a book. Limiting but more common than I ever realized. If you're one of those, this may or may not be a good book for you. If you're a reader more interested in understanding characters, whether you like or approve of them or not, this book offers a wealth of avenues into and through the work.While not a lot of people would ever reply to an anonymous email from someone who knows who they are, some people would. I don't find having a protagonist do something I wouldn't do as a reason to dislike a book. If I did, I probably would have to dislike most books since most depend on a character doing something that is at best ill-advised and at worst down right unethical, that is part of what leads to the conflict that makes a novel or novella.The tension here, such as it is, derives from Hongmei not being sure who the secret talker is, even after most readers have a good idea. I read this more from the perspective of trying to understand who Hongmei is and why she does what she does. By the time we finish the book, we have her life story, yet because it is told nonlinearly we have to refer back and forth in understanding her. That is why I think a reread shortly after the first read is worthwhile. I waited a couple days to read it again and really enjoyed the second time through.Again, because the secret talker is essentially a stalker there is a creepy element, but that quickly dissipates as we read since there are periods of no contact which defuses the possible sense of danger, at least to some extent. That said, some may simply not want to learn about a character who does something the reader considers foolish and dangerous. Well, their loss, Hongmei's life story is fascinating and even though the particulars are strictly hers, they highlight many feelings and conflicts we all experience. If you have ever asked yourself why you did something and later came to understand it, you might appreciate what Hongmei goes through here.I recommend this to readers interested in psychological studies that are not linear. This is a short read and even with a second reading will still be shorter than many other books, so well worth any time investment on your part.Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.