I'm trapped by the concept of the present, by the idea that time is moving forward and I'm witnessing it.”

None of this is Serious by Catherine Prasifka - read an extract None of this is Serious by Catherine Prasifka - read an extract

I’m so full of shame I can’t exist inside my body, so I scroll through my phone. Every other part of the world is either already awake, or hasn’t yet gone to sleep, and I’m able to read endless content. Online, you’re never alone.” Within this group of people, we meet Grace, Sophie’s best friend. There is certainly something to be said about the less-than-stellar relationships that Sophie has with the men in her life, it is also interesting to see the spectrum of behaviour & feelings she experiences due to her best friend. I am still unsure how I feel about Grace. Would Sophie be better off without her shadow? It’s difficult to say. Without Grace to bounce ideas, & feelings, & recount events to breakdown moments, where is Sophie? Sophie is a recent university grad living at home and trying to figure out what comes next. Her friends, many of whom are moving abroad, seem to have it all worked out, as does Hannah, her high-achieving twin sister. Sophie, meanwhile, spends her days blasting out her CV, doom-scrolling and texting two men; her nights out often end in binge drinking. Yeah, but it’s just a concept, it’s not like voting rights or the ability to afford food. Who cares?’ ‘Fine, well, maybe you’d rather we were all disempowered? That’s socialism, right?’None of this is Serious is a celebration of just how wonderful the world is but also just how strange modern life can really be. Delving into the amazing truth of having worldwide connection at your fingertips - but the dangers that come with it too. The mental anguish that seeing polished, curated social media feeds can cause and of course how easily the internet can become a rumour mill. I think about Facebook and the people I’m friends with who I haven’t spoken to in years. At one point it was a status symbol to have as many friends as possible, but now my friends list is a reminder of everyone I’ve lost touch with.” Overall, this book made me think a lot about the relationships I have with others in my life. Part of adulthood is realizing that there is no benefit to having relationships in your life that only bring you harm. Learning to love yourself and surrounding yourself with people who care about you is very important. Life is too short to be surrounding yourself with people that will make you feel as though you have no place on this Earth.

None of This Is Serious: familiar but different – The Irish Times None of This Is Serious: familiar but different – The Irish Times

This book vows to show the uncertainty and absurdity of being alive today, as well as draw the line between real world and online. In addition, it's about relationships of all kinds, body image, and the inevitable doom that we will soon face. I've never been so aware of the present, and the fact that moments like these come and go, and are lost for ever. It's likely, in ten years' time, I won't know any of these people any more. Some of them may even be dead. I might be dead.”As the story develops, we learn that Sophie is trapped in more than a few toxic relationships. She has Hannah, her gaslighting twin, Finn, a friend who sleeps with her but doesn’t date her and Rory, her new love interest who she primarily communicates with online. My feed is full of photos, so many that they don’t all load at once. One by one, my phone presents me with different areas of the world lit up purple, blurred from how hastily the users took the photos. Most of them are too grainy to make out, but I find a gif someone’s posted of the star shooting across the sky. I watch it on repeat, each time feeling like something inside me is tearing apart. He rests his head between my breasts and I stroke his hair. I think about leaning down and kissing him, and I drink more wine. He can probably feel my heart beating under his head, if it isn’t obscured by a layer of fat. I hum gently as I listen to him talk. I could easily drift off to sleep. My hand is resting just below his chin, and he bends his head to kiss it. After a while, I become numb to the point where it's difficult to remember I'd even been sad in the first place. I think it's impossible for me to express emotion, let alone for me to have just done it. There's no longer a difference between being awake or asleep.” Fortunately, [Prasifka] doesn’t need any sprinkling of Rooney’s fairy dust; she makes her own magic. In the seriously good None of This is Serious, the 26-year-old author conveys what it’s like to be a young woman today navigating life in Dublin and online … She is an astute observer of the social dynamics of her generation”