The Echo Chamber: John Boyne

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Then we have Mum, Beverley, an ‘author’ of many books, and their three dysfunctional children, Nelson, Elizabeth and Achilles. Living in a very exclusive part of London, the Cleverly Family rarely spend time together as a unit. Thanks to great reviewers, especially the one written by Peter, I was able to read this book in full and I’m glad I did. I don't always read the blurb when I trust the author but I did with this novel and the premise sounded intriguing - very timely for today's world.

One day George unwittingly makes a huge career faux-pas by sending out a tweet, one that in his mind shares his empathy and support for someone who is transitioning. At the same time, he has an apparent sex addiction - having sex with anything that moves, including her children (adult children). He does it throughout the novel, which elevates this saga to something higher than just a send-up in bouts of laughter of our own madness.Well, it happens when the spotlight is switched on over society, regardless of the location or occasion. He has won four Irish Book Awards, including Author of the Year in 2022, along with a host of other international literary prizes.

Boyne has written some amazing fiction over the years, one of my favourites being The Heart's Invisible Furies. There are some good points to be made within these plotlines and it was interesting to see Twitter etiquette being theorised such as those who are perpetually offended on behalf of others or the absurdity of cancelling people for having a different view point despite not knowing the tone, context or intention of the message.

Elizabeth is my vote for the most disliked person, but she’s the social media assassin obsessed with gaining followers and posting outrageous and seriously damaging tweets. For example, daughter Elizabeth and her boyfriend plan to visit a leper colony, not to do any work, but so the lepers can see what normal people look like and it will give those poor souls such hope. If you are looking to be entertained, and we all need that now more than ever, I really would suggest that you take a punt on this novel.