Eavesdroppers

When social attitudes researcher Bill Harcourt puts an advertisement in the newspaper for 'listeners' to work on an unconventional project, he anticipates that his team of eavesdroppers will discover previously untapped insights into public opinion.

But as five eager listeners begin eavesdropping in the cafes, dentist waiting rooms, public toilets, tube trains and launderettes of London, discreetly noting the details of unguarded conversations, Bill starts to notice subtle changes in their behaviour and realises he has underestimated the compulsive nature of his group. His anxiety is compounded after he receives a series of anonymous letters warning him of the dangers of his experiment.

As the group becomes increasingly intertwined in their subjects' lives, eavesdropping descends into obsession and Bill has to find a way to rein in his increasingly unruly team before they are beyond help.

Informed by conversations collected over three years, The Eavesdroppers, by award-winning author Rosie Chard, is a dark, yet wryly humorous tale of present-day Londoners, living in a constant state of noise and crowds and eavesdroppers.

Cand cercetatorul despre atitudini sociale, Bill Harcourt, pune o publicitate in ziar pentru ca „ascultatorii” sa lucreze la un proiect neconventional, el anticipeaza ca echipa sa de ascultatori va descoperi idei neexploatate anterior in opinia publica. salile de asteptare ale medicilor stomatologi, toaletele publice, trenurile cu metrou si masinile de spalat din Londra, observand discret detaliile conversatiilor nepazite, Bill incepe sa observe schimbari subtile in comportamentul lor si isi da seama ca a subestimat natura compulsiva a grupului sau.