– Prophet Song: WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023

Ok, so it's not perfect, I didn't buy into Eillish being a scientist and wasn't 100% sure about the lack of paragraphs or the lack in differentation between general prose and talking. However, apart from that, this is a timely, relevant, fantastically written, heart breaking rollercoaster of a book. This worked for me in so many levels. It's reality masked as dystopia. The things that occur in this book undoubtedly occur in some form throughout the world. The West is shielded from it all, but one day it could easily happen to us as well. It also works as a warning and it works best for me, due to its focus on the inner family rather than society as a whole (though that is covered to some degree). This gives more gravitas to the situation giving it a claustrophobic quality that kept me reading. Though this book has a high rating at just over four, there are a lot of popular negative reviews on here. Having read them, they just seem to be from people agreeing with their 'friend's who they will never meet in person. One of the regular arguments is that people aren't naive enough to fall into the trap of having phones recorded or listened to (haven't you heard of Snowden they cry) whilst living in a country that voted Trump on for a second time and why didn't Aillesh leave the country when she had the chance whilst those same people moan about immigrants risking their lives to live in the west. This is a very timely and we'll executed novel which I found gripping and 'll too real. Stirring stuff and a future classic without doubt.

There is a very personal style to the writing here, which had me hooked. Written in the third person but viewed entirely from the perspective of a single protagonist, following their actions and deepest thoughts; this gave it more intimacy and honesty than a typical first-person view can. The trains of thought are frequently interrupted, and reality is blurred, alternating between hope and despair as Eilish navigates a world crumbling around her. Paragraphs are long and rambling, with few full stops, many commas, and no speech punctuation. Some readers might find the style disconcerting; it is messy. However, it was written like my mind thinks. I felt I was inside the mind of Eilish to the extent I felt personally betrayed when she made bad choices. I was in there with her when she got it wrong, and I felt her denial as she reviewed her choices in hindsight. Despite its depressing content, Prophet Song is filled with hope. There is a constant belief that against the odds things will get better (no spoilers, so I cannot comment on whether those odds are beaten or not). There is a clear political warning against nationalist populism, which will likely remain a salient message for some time. However, I wasn't convinced by the politics here for two reasons. Firstly, this regime's rapid growth seemed far-fetched. Populist movements, alongside brute force, mobilise mass support on the streets; this all seemed a bit behind closed doors with a lot of brutal stick and little carrot; no mass demos supporting the regime? And secondly, I cannot see a world where Ireland alone is descending into a right-wing dictatorship rabbit hole while the rest of the world looks on with horrified liberal disdain. Maybe I have an idealised view of the Irish, but I do think if they were to go that way it would be following a widespread collapse of Western liberalism, not leading it as an outlier. I think it did a good job of categorising the nature of opposition to brutal regimes and how the fight can morally corrupt a movement. I also liked that although it had a clear message it wanted to get across, it didn't preach; however, in that respect, it did slip at the finale where it became a bit of a sermon. A good book, and a deserving Booker winner on the style of writing alone, which was truly masterful. For me, it needed to be a little more believable with more nuanced politics to be fully great.

I read, and have studied, a lot of literature. This is the first time I have left a review. This book is beautifully written. Sensitive and brutal. Living in the British Isles, it hopefully brings close the struggles of other nations and ethnicity to a personal level. Brilliant book

I was really immersed in Prophet Song, loved the free flowing style with no speech marks, felt invested in the characters, was great! Then the last 3 chapters or so, the story fell off a cliff! It was as if the author had got someone else to finish it! The lead up to the end was convoluted, confused and there was absolutely no sense in the ending at all! Going straight to the charity shop, I'm gobsmacked that it won the booker prize!

A brilliant, disconcerting, and thought-provokingly difficult read. I want everyone to read it, but I fear that, due to the unconventional prose, many will give up before finishing it. While I was totally consumed, I felt an urgency to reach the end, trusting that the family misery—into which I became so deeply immersed—would eventually cease. The Booker Prize judges called it “timely and unforgettable.” I couldn’t agree more. The passage where Eilish discovers her son will stay with me forever. It always, always sends shivers down my spine whenever I think of it. The story embraces and interweaves the pressing issues of today’s world: totalitarianism, detention without trial, civil war, and illegal immigration. It deepens one’s appreciation for just how fragile our modern-day democracies are—and the extent to which they rely on dystopian elements to function effectively. It’s a slippery slope, with an unimaginable inevitability.

A speculative novel about a family torn apart by the sudden takeover by a totalitarian regime in Ireland. This dystopian story is brilliantly crafted and the tension and descent into hopelessness is insidious and relentless. Definitely not an easy read, although the narrative is seamless and flows with lyrical boldness. Lynch’s unconventional writing style plays quite a huge part in delivering this sense of unease: Although there are chapters, the sentences run on unceasingly without paragraphing, marked only by sections. The dialogue is also unmarked, which though hard to follow initially, conveys a sense of immediacy and urgency so that the reader feels he is immersed in the narrative rather than apart from it. What is haunting about this story is the way it shows how rapidly our lives could unravel and disintegrate with little or no warning. Eilish is an ordinary woman who lives a conventional life in an ordinary household with a husband and three children in an ordinary enough neighbourhood who finds her world falling apart when her husband Larry, a teacher and union leader is suddenly arrested by the new regime, even as she tries to protect her children. I was not ready for the way the story progressed and kept holding on to the hope that Eilish would be able to find the help she needs, but it keeps getting darker and darker. The moments with her father, Simon, already battered by dementia, and even more bewildered by the fighting and unrest right outside his doorstep, affected me badly, but it is testament to how convincingly Lynch had painted his characters. Though it is definitely a worthwhile read, I would not recommend plunging into it if the reader is not prepared for a dark and scarily prescient story that may just be too close to our present reality for comfort.

- Prophet Song by Paul Lynch is a gripping dystopian novel that looks at what new laws, new rulers and new anarchy can cause in a country that could be Ireland (I’m not sure if the country is even stated). Seeing events in Ukraine, North Korea, Syria, China, and the USA as well as Afghanistan and Iran (and many others) – it is easier to imagine now than it might have been a few decades ago. Its gripping and holds you tight around the heart – you want to know what will happen to the - “History is full of people who couldn't leave or weren't able to leave” and that line is a good one for explaining this book and it’s plot for this absolutely gripping book. Anybody who doesn't think this couldn't happen has never read a history book about Russia or China or is aware of what's going on in Ukraine right now. The author has an interesting writing style and full of dread and will keep you on the edge of your seat, as one family tried to make sense and what's going on around them. - “Who are these people without their eyes and who are these people with their eyes blinded to the future, these people trapped between the fire and the dark? She closes her eyes and sees how much has been devoured, sees the whole of her love and what little remains”. - Prophet Song is a very gripping interestingly written that talks about the kind of troubles that are now going on in parts of this world and in telling this story, makes you wonder what you would do in a situation where the world just starts to crumble around you and you need to escape.

I'm glad I didn't. But I had to reread the second sentence a few times to understand it! "How the dark gathers without sound the cherry trees". The writing is unusual but I got used to it after a few pages. For anyone who has read Irvine Welsh books (Trainspotting etc.), it's a similar experience from that perspective. The book is grim in places. It reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's The Road at times, which is one of the most emotionally challenging books I've read. Both books made me want to hug my children. They really focus on the parent child relationship under extreme hardship. The book is a page turner. The premise is believable given the current global political climate. And it's convincing. Hints are dropped throughout how Ireland came to be under a totalitarian government. I recommend it. But it is a tough read, especially towards the end.