Radio Bookclub: Gabriel Tallent and “My Absolute Darling”

Our October selection is My Absolute Darling, the debut novel from Gabriel Tallent. It tells the story of 14 year old Turtle Alveston who roams the woods along the northern California coast. The creeks, tide pools, and rocky islands are her haunts and her hiding grounds, and she is known to wander for miles. But while her physical world is expansive, her personal one is small and treacherous: Turtle has grown up isolated since the death of her mother, in the thrall of her tortured and charismatic father, Martin. Her social existence is confined to the middle school (where she fends off the interest of anyone, student or teacher, who might penetrate her shell) and to her life with her father.

When Turtle meets two high school boys, for the first time, the larger world begins to come into focus: her life with Martin is neither safe nor sustainable. Motivated by her first experience with real friendship and a teenage crush, Turtle starts to imagine escape, using the very survival skills her father devoted himself to teaching her.

Gabriel Tallent joined us on Thursday, October 26th.

Radio Bookclub: Gabriel Tallent and “My Absolute Darling” kgnu

Continuing the conversation: Author Gabriel Tallent joins us for After Hours at the Radio Bookclub to further discuss his new novel My Absolute Darling:

Radio Bookclub: Gabriel Tallent and “My Absolute Darling” kgnu

The radio bookclub is a collaboration between KGNU and the Boulder Bookstore and is co-hosted by KGNU News Director Maeve Conran and Arsen Kashkashian, head buyer at the Boulder Bookstore. Each month, Arsen selects a book to inspire listeners to read along together. The author will then join us in-studio for a discussion.

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