The Echo Chamber: John Boyne

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I actually found the dimwitted nature of some of the Cleverley family, Beverley for example was actually quite entertaining at parts to read. What made me give it 4 stars is the language, Boyne is a true wordsmith, with prose that captures the imagination and captivating dialogue.

There are some serious issues to be addressed in this book but it is the humour that stands out from the start. I have met a TON of people like him – righteous, does stuff for social media, wants to be gender fluid but one can see it’s because he thinks it’s fashionable (before anyone says something may I remind you that Bernardine Evaristo talks about the same thing in Girl, Woman Others ) and yet by the end of the book he comes to a realization and redeems himself.His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been adapted for cinema, theatre, ballet and opera. The main peanut in the packet for me, however, was Beverley Cleverley's final words: (paraphrased): Alexander Graham Bell, the fucker, has a lot to answer for. In this regard it reminded me a little of Matt Haig's work which always seems to aim to teach the reader an important moral lesson, as a reader I don't enjoy this method as I'm capable of drawing out the meaning of a book without having it gracelessly hammered home to me. I wouldn't wish a Stroke on any, but there could come a day when you, Peter Kay and (worse of al), Jimmy Carr, find out that there's nothing to laugh about. Furthermore copies are now scared of these people so when someone voices an opinion that is ‘wrong’ that person may be out of a job as that company does not want their reputation tarnished.

Along the way they will learn how volatile, how outraged, how unforgiving the world can be when you step from the prescribed path. They are all guilty of self deception but George in particular thinks he’s ‘Woke’ but in fact he’s in non-REM sleep as he demonstrates with breathtaking effect. Thanks for a great topical read, John, especially the bit where Elizabeth argues with herself between two of her Twitter accounts, trying to raise her profiles.Being in my early 40’s I have seen the rise of the World Wide Web and the introduction of social media sites: Hi5, Myspace, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (sorry I never liked Snapchat and I just can’t get into Tik Tok – yet) However in the past two years, especially on Twitter and Instagram stories I’ve noticed a new breed of people cropping up; they are self-righteous, quick to act aggressive if an opinion does not match with theirs and get all their education from memes, which they share and follow as the gospel truth. Standing atop this pyramid of unlikability is George Cleverley, a Parkinsonesque chatshow host and self-declared national treasure. Said as I type my review on a social media platform after having scrolled through Facebook and Instagram. There is plenty of dialogues that should be considered funny, but I couldn’t stop feeling the author’s anger. While reading this novel, I found myself wondering if Boyne had had any bones to pick with people on Twitter, because the messaging was a little too obvious.

When George tweets something meaning to sound supportive of a person transitioning from male to female, he botches it so badly that he is hauled over the coals by his boss, the Head of Entertainment, Margaret. Why, she asked herself, did she not feel validated as a human being unless strangers were listening to her, commenting on her, liking her? Echo Chamber by John Boyne (I am a big fan) is a farce that will remind you of the Emmy-award-winning series Schitt’s Creek. is a novelist, eldest son Nelson is a sometime and very reluctant teacher with a penchant for uniforms, daughter Elizabeth’s greatest desire is to be a social media influencer and the youngest Achilles is onto blackmail just for a laugh -oh also the cash. The main protagonists in The Echo Chamber though, are awful people, completely narcissistic, unsympathetic, downright nasty, though it does make them all wickedly interesting, whilst at the same time, makes for some truly amusing dialogue.Together they will go on a journey of discovery through the Hogarthian jungle of the modern living where past presumptions count for nothing and carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant. What is so funny about being rented permanently brain damaged over night, and for so many losing our jobs, home, partners, life as we knew it? Echo chambers can create misinformation and distort a person’s perspective so they have difficulty considering opposing viewpoints and discussing complicated topics.