phill lister

Fantastic tribute to his father's music and memory.

Phew! Just finished it - what a cracker! And very adventurous in its technique/form. In the 70s I read a lot of Modern and Postmodern literature that played with forms of storytelling (James Joyce, John Barth) so was able to quickly adjust to the demands placed on the reader here. But I can understand anyone new to these experimental styles could find it hard going. But my advice is stick with it and put the effort in! It's a very bravely contemporary novel, capturing the flavour of how social media interactions can amplify and distort debate. This is going on around us and impacting on political life and everyday life whether we like it or not e.g. anti-vaxing, Qanon, etc. Rowling shows the mechanics and psychological manipulations behind this new media form as Robin and Strike are drawn into its web. The story is also of course about our detectives themselves. A brilliantly ambitious book that expects readers to rise to the challenge