by Alan Bennett
First published 1988
In Talking Heads, Alan Bennett lays bare the hidden lives of a dozen everyday Britons. A lonely widow reminisces about her stifled marriage. A repressed housewife grapples with her true self. An aspiring actress confronts the compromises of success. Through these intimate monologues, Bennett's empathetic lens reveals the extraordinary within the mundane, the poignant beneath the humorous. His characters' stories unfold with a gentle, relatable power that lingers long after the final line.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, slice-of-life
Period: 20th-century
91 pages · Paperback · Bbc Pubns