 |
| Faber and Faber Ltd 2016 |
When twenty-three thousand and
ninety six people have seen you in a compromising situation which makes you
slither and crawl with humiliation, there really is nothing that you can do to feel
remotely better about yourself. Teenager, Su
Oliphant-Brotheridge is about to find out just how bad her life can get when a compromising
video clip of herself in a Magaluf nightclub goes viral.
What then follows is a very
modern story about the pitfalls of social media, particularly when mobile uploads
can make or break people in milliseconds. The author does a commendable job of
weaving the story away from its rather shocking opening sentence and delivers a
salutary tale about the quirks of modern family life and of the petty jealousies
which so often simmer below the surface. I think it also highlighted the insecurity
of someone living in an environment not of their own choosing, of the heart-breaking
search for lost identity and the complicated enigma of sibling rivalry.
The story sets off a cracking
pace and never falters in what it sets out to deliver which is a moralistic story
about what happens when private goes public. There is no doubt that many
readers will pick up the book just to read the six words which make up its
opening line, but the book is about so much more than that. It’s not all about
shabby voyeurism, it’s also about calculated revenge and the search for identity,
it’s about family and a feeling of belonging and it’s also about hope for a future
which at first glance seems damaged beyond repair.
Perhaps if more people were to
read of the unimaginable horror of what ‘could’ happen when a mobile phone gets
into the hands of someone with no moral scruples, maybe, just maybe… it might
make them think twice about what they share with the world.
Best read with…a strong cup of
tea and a plate of your favourite biscuits…
~***~
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to comment - Jaffareadstoo appreciates your interest.