The Confusion Of Languages

(Paperback)

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From the award-winning author of You Know When the Men are Gone comes a searing debut novel about jealousy, the unpredictable path of friendship, and the secrets kept in marriage, all set within the U.S. expat community of the Middle East during the rise of the Arab Spring. A searing debut novel from the award-winning author ofYou Know When the Men are Gone, about jealousy, the unpredictable path of friendship, and the secrets kept in marriage, all set within the U.S. expat community of the Middle East during the rise of the Arab Spring. Both Cassie Hugo and Margaret Brickshaw dutifully followed their soldier husbands to the U.S. embassy in Jordan, but that's about all the women have in common. After two years, Cassie's become an expert on the rules, but newly arrived Margaret sees only her chance to explore. So when a fender-bender sends Margaret to the local police station, Cassie reluctantly agrees to watch Margaret's toddler son. But as the hours pass, Cassie's boredom and frustration turn to fear- Why isn't Margaret answering her phone, and why is it taking so long to sort out a routine accident Snooping around Margaret's apartment, Cassie begins to question not only her friend's whereabouts but also her own role in Margaret's disappearance. With achingly honest prose and riveting characters, The Confusion of Languages plunges readers into a shattering collision between two women and two worlds, affirming Siobhan Fallon as a powerful voice in American fiction and a storyteller not to be missed. "A gripping, cleverly plotted novel with surprising bite."-Phil Klay "Mesmerizing and devastating....Two military wives must explore a modern-day, cultural labyrinth in this insatiable read."-Sarah McCoy

Reviews

"Explores friendships, parenting, and the civilian/military divide. . . . The more we can shrink the yawning chasm between families experiences, the better for us all."The Washington Post

An incisive examination of friendship and betrayal and a skillful mingling of cultural and domestic themes.Booklist(starred review)

A gripping, cleverly plotted novel with surprising bite.Phil Klay, author ofRedeployment

Mesmerizing and devastating. . . Two military wives must explore a modern-day, cultural labyrinth. An insatiable read that will leave you breathless.Sarah McCoy, author ofThe Mapmaker's Children

"Fallons fast-paced, compelling story doesnt sacrifice nuance or sensitivity. . . Piercing and precise." Florida Times-Union

[T]hese women...are honest and well-formed characters . . . Page-turning and rich in detail, this is a solid, insightful debut.Kirkus Reviews

Cerebral but still taut with suspense . . . this novel's sophisticated pacing and emotional core set it apart from the pack.ShelfAwareness

"Touching. . . . A moving work about desire and the dislocation one might experience in a foreign land."BookPage

Fallon's novel has the irresistible force of a whirlpool.David Abrams, author ofFobbit

Gripping.Southern Living

Exquisite.Bustle

This gripping personal tale of a friendship gone wrong brings our larger political blunders, blindness, and naivet in the Middle East to light.Laura Harrington, author ofAlice Bliss

The world of military families may be unfamiliar to civilians, but Fallon writes about it brilliantly, charting its strict hierarchies, emotional complexities, and fierce loyalties with the intelligence and deep compassion they deserve. Roxana Robinson, author of Sparta

"Both a page-turning mystery and a riveting character study in the vein of Henry James or Patricia Highsmith. Tense, intriguing, smart, witty, set in an exotic locale, and full of barbed insights into the nature of friendship and marriage. Andria Williams, author ofThe Longest Night

"Fallons ability to see into the living rooms, kitchens, and bars of Americans buffeted by their countrys wars makes her one of the most important observers of the American present.Matti Friedman, author ofPumpkinflowers: A Soldiers Story

Evocative of the filmBabel,The Confusion of Languagesis layered, rich with meaning, and compelling right up to a final sentence so right and perfect that it resonates long after closing the book.Elizabeth Marro, author ofCasualties

Fallon writes with authority and grace, and her characters are so compelling and complex.Emily Jeanne Miller, author ofThe News from the End of the World

Author Bio

Siobhan Fallon is the author of You Know When the Men Are Gone, which won the PEN Center USA Literary Award in Fiction, the Indies Choice Honor Award, and the Texas Institute of Letters Award for First Fiction. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post Magazine, Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, Military Spouse, The Huffington Post, and NPR's Morning Edition, among others. She and her family moved to Jordan in 2011, and they currently live in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.