Talking at Night: 'A beautifully observed, tender love story. A bit like Normal People. I devoured it' JOJO MOYES

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The characters of Will and Rosie lived in my head for a long time before I started writing this book,’ author Claire Daverley tells Grazia. ‘The dialogue between the two of them kept cropping up in my mind, until one day I felt it was time to get their characters down on paper. I never intended to write a love story, but I’ve always been fascinated by the human condition, and the light and the dark of who we are.’ Claire Daverley was born in 1991 and has been writing stories ever since she was six years old, inspired by art and film and her many trips to the library. After graduating with a degree in Fine Art from The University of Oxford, she began a career in publishing, writing about books by day but penning her own by night, on trains, and in the light of the early mornings. She has spent most of her life in Hertfordshire, but currently lives in Scotland with her husband and spaniel. This book kept me up all night! It’s everything I want from a love story, the will they won’t they, the romance, but also, there is the truthfulness of reality woven into it. This isn’t just escapism, it is also full of heartbreak and human failings and mistakes. I loved it.’ Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding They fall for each other as teenagers at a bonfire and start meeting at a nearby lighthouse to talk late into night.

Talking at Night really captures the intensity of first love, and the frustration of unfinished sentences and unexpressed feelings, as well as the waves of grief that spill into every area of our lives, over and over.' Jane This goes to show that no failed book is ever a waste of time – I do believe that without those previous projects, I’d never have met my agent in the first place – and they all led me to landing the right agent for me! Ariella is truly the perfect gatekeeper for my writing, the right mix of strategic edge, editorial eye and gut instinct. Plus she truly loved Will and Rosie, and the excitement in her voice over the phone that day told me all I needed to know! I couldn’t have written Talking at Night without all the projects that came before it. Every word and every rejection letter was worth it. Talking at Night is a masterful and authentic depiction of true love in all its messy, complicated and gut-wrenching glory. Will and Rosie are the perfect, imperfect star-crossed lovers - their story had me enthralled from the start." - Ruth Hogan Is the character of Rosie based on herself? ‘Everybody asks that of an author’s debut, but while my emotional fingerprints are all over her – like the fact we both went to Oxford University and her sense of perfectionism – she’s entirely fictional. In fact, I think the way she lives her life, always trying to do the right thing by everybody and not always herself, is very relatable to most women.’

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With shades of Sally Rooney, this is a lyrical, tender love story about two people, Will and Rosie, who meet as teenagers and seemed destined to be together until tragedy strikes.” What were the best – and worst! – pieces of advice you were given as you embarked on writing your novel? I sometimes felt like the writing kept me at arm’s length-the same way that Rosie kept Will at arm’s length while she tried to do what the felt was right…

What does a typical writing day look like for you – if there is such a thing! – and would you describe yourself as a disciplined writer? Se la trama di per sé non sembra avere nulla (o quasi) di originale, la scrittura è però ben riuscita, diretta e dolce al tempo stesso. Spellbinding, beautiful, lyrical and tender, Talking at Night is a dazzling debut. I loved every word and was left longing for more.' Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of The Love of My Life Claire Daverley was born in 1991 and has been writing stories ever since she was six years old, inspired by art and film and her many trips to the library. After graduating with a degree in Fine Art from The University of Oxford, she began a career in publishing, writing about books by day but penning her own by night, on trains, and in the light of the early mornings. She has spent most of her life in Hertfordshire, but now lives in Scotland with her husband and spaniel.A beautifully observed, tender love story with characters you really care about…a bit like Normal People. I devoured it.” Quietly devastating, entirely beautiful, bruising and hopeful. In a world of compromise, Claire Daverley has created a perfect thing. Talking at Night takes its place amongst my all time favourites. I implore you to read it. I’ll never forget it.” One thing I wanted to establish right off the bat: this is one of those books that is hard to place into any one genre, since it’s technically a mix of several, however I would strongly caution against classifying it as a typical “romance” novel. Sure, there’s a “love story” at the core of this one, with a main “couple” that it’s pretty much impossible NOT to root for (more on this later), but there is actually so much more to the story than that. This is a story with a tremendous amount of emotional depth and nuance, told in a way that is raw, honest, heartfelt, and realistic. Have your tissues handy for Talking at Night by Claire Daverley, a raw, extraordinary novel in which every scene aches with emotion.’ Real Simple

Too much sappy-ness and unrealistic promises of forever (yes, i know, it’s a romance book and I should’ve expected exactly that). I think, what bothered me is that I didn’t feel a strong enough connection between the two main protagonists, so the *overt, over the top* showcasing of affection just felt very forced. Talking at Night is one of those rare books you don’t want to end. Beautifully written, incredibly nostalgic, and utterly heartfelt.’ Katie Bishop, author of The Girls of Summer I have really taken my time with this review.. because I don’t think anything I say or suggest will do this book any justice. Can you tell us a bit about how you found your agent, Ariella Feiner? What have you found to be the most rewarding, and most challenging, aspects of getting your novel published? I’ve been writing for a long time, ever since I was little, and my stories always percolate for some time, usually beginning with the characters. And Talking at Night was no exception. I had shadows of scenes with Will and Rosie in my head, years before I put pen to paper, and their voices became clearer and clearer the more I listened. I knew I wanted to write a story about people, and the things they say, and don’t say – and I knew I wanted to write a novel that traversed both light and dark, but beyond that, I wasn’t sure what that would look like until I began writing. I knew it would be a book about Will and Rosie. That their chemistry was the most important thing. And I was interested in the idea of ‘the one that got away’ – but what if they never actually got away? What if they remained close, in your heart and mind and even physically in your life? So I started with that question and just kept writing.

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A classic will-they-won't-they in the vein of David Nicholls, this novel is impossible to put down' CONSTANZA CASATI, author of CLYTEMNESTRA I didn’t love this book. I felt myself rolling my eyes at choices these characters made. I also felt like Rosie kept Will around just in case, and he held a torch for her. Their relationship wasn’t healthy. And Rosie marrying a man because he was helping fill a brother shaped hole in her heart was weird. Will was a jerk of a character. He was upset that Rosie married someone else and he disliked the guy, so he treated a perfectly nice person like crap initially. I also hated that there were no quotation marks. I should have listened to this one on audio. The story of Will and Rosie is a classic love story in every sense, and yet, in Claire Daverley's hands, it felt entirely new' MARY BETH KEANE, New York Times bestselling author of ASK AGAIN, YES If you love really gentle, beautiful and very cleverly written love stories, then this is the book for you' FEARNE COTTON

This novel is poignant and deeply moving, and written in beautiful, poetic prose that often had me in tears. It is one of my favourite books I have read this year and one I will no doubt reread. I adored We All Want Impossible Things, a gorgeous novel by Catherine Newman that is somehow about death but also life, and all the sadness and undeniable joy that goes with it. I’m not a big crier, but I sobbed while reading that one, in the bath, no less! I also loved Coco Mellors’ Cleopatra and Frankenstein, the cool, edgy romance novel that sparkles with wit, beautiful sentences and an unforgettable side character who became, for me, the star of the show. And the sugar baby! Oh, it took my breath away. In this debut novel, we follow Rosie and Will as they deal with whatever life throws at them in the best way they can. The only constant in their life, it seems, it's the fact they never fall out of love with each other. Talking at Night is a love story, certainly, but it’s much more than that. I was rapt. I highly recommend this wonderful novel.”

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A beautifully observed, tender love story with characters you really care about...a bit like Normal People. I devoured it JOJO MOYES Spellbinding, beautiful, lyrical and tender...a dazzling debut. I loved every word and was left longing for more' ROSIE WALSH, author of THE MAN WHO DIDN'T CALL