Duplex

A Novel

By: Kathryn Davis

Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers

Mary and Eddie are meant for each other - but love is no guarantee, not in these suburbs. Like all children, they exist in an eternal present; time is imminent, and the adults of the street live in their assorted houses like numbers on a clock. Meanwhile, ominous rumors circulate, and the increasing agitation of the neighbors points to a future in which all will be lost. Soon a sorcerer's car will speed down Mary's street, and as past and future fold into each other, the resonant parenthesis of her girlhood will close forever. Beyond is adulthood, a world of robots and sorcerers, slaves and masters, bodies without souls.

In Duplex, Kathryn Davis, whom the Chicago Tribune has called "one of the most inventive novelists at work today", has created a coming-of-age story like no other. Once you enter the duplex - that magical hinge between past and future, human and robot, space and time - there's no telling where you might come out.

©2013, 2019 Kathryn Davis (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Mesmerizing, Confounding, Wonderful

This is a gem, but it's not a novel for those who demand story. Yes, there's a central narrative, a winding coming-of-age tale that traces two teenage suburbanites and their journey into adulthood - but "story" isn't what the author seems interested in. More than anything else, "Duplex" is a tone poem: a dreamlike portrait of the way life is remembered. It's packed with odd details, anecdotes, non sequiturs and suburban Americana which, woven expertly together, serve a strange commentary on growing up that's witty and often unsettling. (David Lynch is a useful touchpoint.)

Some figures pass through time in the usual fashion; other characters seem timeless. Lost people re-emerge; rumors become prophecies. One cocktail-sipping family consist entirely of robots. A man has no soul. Tales of youthful sexual experimentation merge with gory urban legends. It's all pretty confounding... and totally fascinating. I loved it.

Note: the narration here is top-notch.

good

Written wonderfully and sufficiently odd for my tastes. At first I wasn't really to fond of the story but as it aged I became more entangled. I liked it and will be having a look at some of the authors other works. The narration was much the same for me. At first it felt to to ethereal much like looking through fog but for my ears. I was having a hard time focusing on the words, but as it unfolded it became a good feel for the story.

What?!?!?!?

This book is an audio acid trip. I couldn’t tell you what actually happened or what the plot was but it was interesting enough to listen to the whole thing. Ms Davis is an interesting writer so I didn’t want to give up but I still could not tell you what this book is about.

A luscious & delectable mash up of genres.

What a beautiful take on growing up, aging and the choices we make, all served up in the most delicious style and language. The Sci-Fi touches just made it more tasty. Don’t we all know, and haven’t we all grown up with the characters Ms. Davis describes? I think that many readers, especially those who used to be little girls, will have identified many of her characters in their own lives.

Confused!

My brain feels whiplashed!
The story was all over the place and it was very difficult to keep up.
For some reason I listened to the end but there is no plot.

Totally Lost Me

It was a lot of work to figure out the point of all this rambling. If there wasn't suggestive sex throughout, the plot might be suitable for elementary school kids. The narrator had the same breathless quality for each of the characters. After four hours of listening, I declined to finish the last two. There are too many good books waiting for my listening pleasure.