Are there any books that focus almost entirely on dialogue/banter?

[Sansa_Stark]

I'd like to read a book where the focus was on people talking rather than on the plot or anything. Especially something made in like the last 20 years or so.

Do any exist?

[russjass]

David Eddings. It is one book repeated 15-20 times, with slightly different names and "characters", entirely dialogue. Truly, truly awful though

[Roose Seal]

....Read a play?

[SkynJay]

Waiting for Godot was my first thought.

[Captain Sheepf*cker]

Been a while since I read it but the first two books of Book of the Long Sun by Wolfe seemed pretty thick with dialogue.

[The Marquis de Leech]

Not in the last twenty years, but Jack Vance's Dying Earth (especially the Cugel books) are awesome in terms of witty banter and dialogue.

[MinDonner]

Not actually SFF, but Enough Is Too Much Already by Jan Mark is 100% dialogue between three nerdy teenagers and is very funny. (Jan Mark needs more love, her SF is fantastic)

[Sansa_Stark]

Thanks for the recs guys.

Is there anything that focuses more on banter/chemistry between a man and a woman.

Think Spice and Wolf/Monogatari for those of you who know anime.

[baxus]

try to find a screenplay of pretty much any kevin smith movie ;)

[Procrastimancer]

Red Shift by Alan Garner sounds like what you are looking for. Garner's use of dialogue instead of narration to drive the story is amazing and really just blew me away... though, I will admit that despite being very much in awe of the writing, I am not overly fond of the book because the story failed to really click for me.

[WrathOfTinyKittens]

I believe "The Fifty Year Sword" is all or nearly all dialogue, though I could be wrong. By Mark Danielewski, author of House of Leaves.

[Snowborn]

Maybe something by Manuel Puig, I think there are some English translations of his works.

• Kiss of the Spider Woman is written mostly as a dialogue, and it's a really good book in my opinion.
  
• Heartbreak Tango (Boquitas pintadas) is also good, but it's not as heavy in dialogue as Kiss...
  
• Then there is Eternal Curse on the Reader of These Pages. I haven't read it.
  

[aidan]

John Scalzi basically writes screenplays disguised as novels, so you might enjoy his novels.

[Wilbur]

Not in the last twenty years, but Jack Vance's Dying Earth (especially the Cugel books) are awesome in terms of witty banter and dialogue.

I concur - Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga are both built on witty dialogue.

[Larry of the Lawn]

David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago has some snappy dialogue.

[Werthead]

The Road by Cormac McCarthy focuses almost entirely on dialogue between a father and his son in a post-apocalyptic landscape (I wouldn't call it banter though).

[Nearly Headless Ned]

Thanks for the recs guys.

Is there anything that focuses more on banter/chemistry between a man and a woman.

Think Spice and Wolf/Monogatari for those of you who know anime.

Thanks for the recs guys.

Is there anything that focuses more on banter/chemistry between a man and a woman.

Think Spice and Wolf/Monogatari for those of you who know anime.

I second the 'read a play' suggestion (but with no snark intended). For witty banter Much Ado About Nothing or Betrayal by Harold Pinter.

[David Selig]

All the fiction books Asimov ever wrote. He sure loved to overuse dialogue.

[Darzin]

Purple and Black by KJ Parker is told entirely through letters between two friends with no novel prose at all, that might be a little different then what your looking for since letters aren't dialog per se but it is an excellent book that focuses on a pseudo Byzantine Empire and the death of youthful ideas to pragmatic reality.

[Sansa_Stark]

Thanks for the recs again.

Will definitely add some of these to my kindle collection.