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Blog Entry 13 of 17 It's keeping me awake
Sometimes the great books keep me up half the night; sometimes it's the best sellers. Lately, it's the politics.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~somanybooks

Do you know where your identiy is?

Contributed by: Irma Sturgell   on 2/15/2007

Instant messaging, instant cash, instant buying - all good, yes? Sometimes. Instant access might be the Trojan horse of modern life. The same online convenience that offers everything out there in cyberspace, and offers it instantly can also be the portal that invites savvy thieves into our lives where they will help themselves to our hard earned cash.

Sure, a smart consumer monitors credit card charges, checks online bank accounts, and buys from secure web sites while sending up a silent prayer that 'https" really does guarantee a safe transaction. Document shredding has become a way of life as we fill trash bags with revealing bits of paper that could undo us in the wrong hands. We may even check our credit reports now and then to be sure we stay on the plus side of the bottom line.

But even with all that, can we ever feel secure? Not likely, suggests T.C. Boyle, in his novel "Talk, Talk." He spins a story of identity theft by taking us into the life of Dana Halter, a deaf teacher who, in a routine traffic violation is arrested. Apparently she is wanted for a laundry list of crimes, none of which she committed. It's hard enough sorting out this kind of mess as a hearing person and endlessly frustrating for a deaf person who must first get the attention of those in charge.

Dana's boyfriend, Bridger, tries to rescue her and quickly learns what we all suspect. In the hierarchy of compelling crimes, identity theft isn't at the top of anybody's list. By the time he gets Dana released, she has been in the claustrophobic company of nasty street criminals for a few days and has nurtured a finely tuned sense of rage that fuels a relentless need for vengeance. She must find this lowlife who is walking in her hard earned shoes and doing in grand style.

Boyle knows conceits of modern life and strikes just the right balance between pathos and indignation. We feel Dana's, frustration and want her to get this guy. And when we meet him, (aka William "Peck" Wilson) we are astonished at his bravado and chameleon like ability to become someone else as effortlessly as we don on a new set of clothes. This guy knows how to live! An ocean view condo; a beautiful Russian wife accustomed to the best of everything; a shiny Mercedes in the garage; gourmet food on the table, all these are his with a keystroke. He learned the secrets of his trade in jail from a fellow inmate and they have done quite well for themselves - until now. With a little help from some shady friends, Dana and Bridger connect the dots and begin to develop a profile of their adversary.

Bridger gets lucky when he calls the cell phone number on an overdue bill with Dana's name on it. They hit pay dirt. The "other" Dana answers the phone and his practiced suspicion tells him it's time to relocate. He packs the Mercedes and they are off. Dana and Bridger follow in a cross-country quest fueled more by anger than common sense.

The chase is on, alternating between the naïvely determined Dana and Bridger, and the volatile Peck who still has friends in low places. Along the way, we learn just enough about identify theft to know it can happen anytime, no matter how careful we are. Who wins in the end? That depends on your idea of winning. But at the very least, you will want to check your bank balance reglarly.

T.C. Boyle is this year's recipient of the Evil Companion's Award, and will be honored on April 4, 2007, at the Oxford Hotel, Denver. Information about the event can be found at denverlibrary.org/news


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Irma Sturgell

Centennial , CO

Irma Sturgell has posted 17 blog entries and 2 comments since joining on 4/13/2006. Irma Sturgell 's average blog rating is 5.
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