So this just arrived from Faber—a “break-out thriller from acclaimed writer Helen FitzGerald, about mothers, daughters and a viral sex tape.”
I usually open a new book at random to get a feel for the writing but I started this one at the beginning. I planned to read the first page. I read the first thirty. Then I put the book down because I can tell right now that this is going to be a binge read. The writing cuts straight to the chase and the plot is pacey. It’s the kind of book you look forward to diving into on a Friday night or when you’re settling in for a long-haul flight.
Helen FitzGerald has made a name for herself in a genre sometimes called Domestic Noir. But this particular novel is about what happens when the lowest point of a person’s life is not only made public but actively shared with as many people as possible.
I found this book a timely arrival on my doorstep as the challenges of raising children in a digital age is a popular topic in my circles at the moment. Our kids are starting to see pictures of themselves cropping up on other people’s social media accounts, realizing that CCTV is hooked up almost everywhere they go, and just generally beginning to grasp that it might be safest to presume someone is not only watching but recording most of what they do.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how FitzGerald tackles this whole culture of exposure in the rest of her book, although I’m not confident it’s going to set my mind at ease about the shape of things to come!
NB: My copy is a proof, courtesy of Faber, but Viral will be available for purchase early 2016!
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I’m intrigued – will look out for this book. It sounds like a book that I would sneakily read a few pages – just before I start dinner – and then find that an hour has passed and there are hungry children demanding dinner!
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Exactly! The kind of book you start standing up at the kitchen counter and fifteen minutes later, you’re wondering if you should have made a cup of tea before you settled in…
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Glad I logged on again ! Thanks for the thumbs up!x
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Great. I hope you enjoy it. For lack of a better word, it’s “faster” than what I normally read but the timing couldn’t be better as I’m polishing the pacing structure of my WIP. Think I’m about to pick up lots of useful tips! Hope your own writing is going well, too. Thanks for checking in. x
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I had a proof copy sent to me and I totally agree with you (especially the bit about standing in the kitchen reading, but in my case the dinner was in danger of burning!).
I’m primarily a children’s bookseller and picked this one because initially I though it was YA.
I do think it should be compulsory reading for every 16 year old though.
Can’t wait for it to be released so I can start selling it!
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It’s very interesting you say that, Joanne, as a friend asked if I would recommend it for teens and I couldn’t decide. It is certainly very confronting but a book can be a great place to learn about the world and the topic is so relevant to the lives of teenagers today. Have you read Risk by Fleur Ferris? Disclaimer: I have not but I know it deals with cyber safety and it IS written as YA. One could probably build a very interesting course around literature that deals with growing up in the digital age!
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