About the Book

Hoping to escape from himself for awhile, Kit auditions for a controversial school play and discovers his talent for acting, struggles with coming out, and both he and his costar face crises in their view of themselves and in their close relationships.

Book Synopsis

Kit Webster is hiding a secret. Carma, his best friend, has already figured it out, and pushes him to audition for the high school play, Talk. When he's cast as the male lead, he expects to escape his own life for a while and become a different person. What he gets instead is the role of a lifetime: Kit Webster. In the play, Kit's thrown together with Lindsay Walsh, the female lead and the school's teen queen. Lindsay, tired of the shallow and selfish boys from her usual circle of friends, sees something real in Kit - and wants it. But Kit's attention is focused on Pablo, another boy in school. The play is controversial; the parents put pressure on the school to shut it down. And when Kit and Lindsay rally to save Talk, they find themselves deep into a battle for the truth: onstage, and inside themselves.

Review Quotes

"The novel...flows in a poetic stream-of-consciousness style. Kit's own questions of identity and truth lead to a dramatic conclusion--both on- and offstage--as he finally discovers who he is." --The Horn Book Magazine, Starred Review

"What Koja, who deftly handles several points of view...does so well is to let the reader clearly see her characters' imperfections, while never losing sight of their essential humanity." --Kirkus Reviews

"Life- and self-affirming." --Booklist

"A richly satisfying story. Layers of friendships, wounds, yearnings, and secrets are expertly interwoven to create this daring novel. Wholly engaging." --VOYA

About the Author

Kathe Koja is the author of several notable books for young adults, including The Blue Mirror and Buddha Boy, both ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Her book Headlong was published in Fall 2008 by FSG. She lives in Berkley, Michigan.