kransom's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Hard to rate as it’s very well written but incredibly dark and intense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Police brutality
linafischer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
While the writing of this novel was beautiful and full of imagery and the dense, uninterrupted stream of consciousness served the narrative, the contents of this book were overall underwhelming and didn't add any nuance to the existing canon of dystopian narratives. The question I could not stop asking myself is "Why did Lynch feel the need to publish this?" - the only answer I can come up with so far is that the male audacity combined with utter ignorance made him do it.
Let's start with the bizarre choice of plot. Ireland is under the reign of an authoritarian regime, mirroring events that either have already happened in world history or are currently happening to very real people. So why is it set in Ireland of all places? Rather than adding originality to a narrative that was otherwise wildly unimaginative, the setting contributed to the overall patronising tone of the novel. It seemed to scream "imagine if something like 1984 happened in real life and people had to flee their homes!", completely disregarding that (civil) wars, authoritarian rule, police states, and the need to seek refuge are ongoing problems - just not in western Europe. The Orwellian themes that were continuously being spoon-fed to the reader only added to this.
At times, the description of the suffering feels suffocating and voyeuristic. Especially the description of Bailey's corpse after his death seems unnecessarily detailed, his death simply an instrument to increase Eilish's suffering, with no apparent artistic value or purpose attached to it.
Further, the protagonist reads as heavily implausible. Once again, the setting worked against the overall strength of the novel rather than in favour of it. Surely, someone at least slightly familiar with Irish history wouldn't be so utterly surprised by political unrest. Even if we're supposed to believe that Eilish is entirely oblivious to that, she references the Stasi at some point, so she cannot be wholly uninformed about world history. Her naïvety in spite of her apparent intelligence seems improbable (and makes her a grating presence throughout the novel). At least I assume she must be at least somewhat intelligent to be a scientist, though the novel fails to pick up on this entirely. The blurb describes her as a "scientist and mother-of-four", yet during the course of the novel, her actions are defined by her role as mother, wife, and daughter. Of course, extreme situations will shift priorities. But why write her as a scientist if that is of no relevance to either plot or character development? Surely, the need for books where women are reduced to their relationships with other people is extinct in 2023.
I was hoping for the novel to somehow redeem itself, yet the ending only manifested the privilege oozing off the pages. The last sentence, which marks a significant moment in the family's flight out of Ireland, reads "[...] she says, to the sea, we must go to the sea, the sea is life". This feels like a slap in the face considering all the lives lost in the Mediterranean. Even if we assume that Lynch is trying to acknowledge that issue, it remains questionable where he sees the need for this dire ending, this reference to the traumatic, ongoing loss of lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Dementia, Violence, Gun violence, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Torture
emziesreads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
My reading of this experience was informed by readers who'd asked if we really needed a dystopia about the descent of a democracy into war set in Ireland to understand what has happened/ is happening in other parts of the world. Having read Prophet Song now, I would have to agree with them. Prophet Song didn't add anything to the dystopia genre. At times the writing was annoyingly ornate and it took me out of the story, failing to succeed in showing me the geauty of turmoil. An enjoyable read that I didn't personally get along with and I will have to ge comfortable with it no doubt winning the Booker.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, Confinement, Gun violence, and War
emmyh_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Torture, and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Prophet Song is my 11th book from the Booker Prize longlist and one that grabbed me from the get-go. It’s set in a alternate or near future version of Ireland headed by an increasingly tyrannical totalitarian government that will not brook any criticism or protest. The novel opens one dark and rainy night with the secret police knocking on Eilish’s door looking for her husband. It then closely follows Eilish as the political situation deteriorates, ordinary life becomes ever more difficult, and the toll on her family rises. The plot contained definite echos of Irish history combined with situations drawn from contemporary events in the Ukraine, Syria, Central America and other parts of the globe. I imagine for an Irish reader this mix would be especially impactful in countering the “that could never happen here” mindset that many people hold.
I’ve seen a lot of comment about the style of this novel which is dominated by big blocks of text. I never found it difficult to read and found the style really effective at mirroring the increasing levels of disorder and chaos that surrounded Eilish, the way it became impossible for her to find a moment to think or pause. Lynch also nailed the tense and claustrophobic atmosphere.
Eilish was a very sympathetic character; her dilemma all too relatable. How far would you/could you/ should you go to protest or resist governmental abuse when you are also responsible for children and other dependent family members? What risks would you take? What risks would you want your loved ones to take? How bad would the situation have to get before you would try to flee - especially when it might mean separating your family forever?
In Prophet Song Lynch has done an excellent job showing why people need to be wary of any overreach of government power and convincingly demonstrating some logical, believable outcomes for an ordinary western family when a government turns against its citizens. His novel reinforces the fact that the events depicted could happen to any of us, not just some foreign “other”.
This novel has been classified as dystopian. But is it really dystopian if the events depicted are actually happening right now?
I’ve seen a lot of comment about the style of this novel which is dominated by big blocks of text. I never found it difficult to read and found the style really effective at mirroring the increasing levels of disorder and chaos that surrounded Eilish, the way it became impossible for her to find a moment to think or pause. Lynch also nailed the tense and claustrophobic atmosphere.
Eilish was a very sympathetic character; her dilemma all too relatable. How far would you/could you/ should you go to protest or resist governmental abuse when you are also responsible for children and other dependent family members? What risks would you take? What risks would you want your loved ones to take? How bad would the situation have to get before you would try to flee - especially when it might mean separating your family forever?
In Prophet Song Lynch has done an excellent job showing why people need to be wary of any overreach of government power and convincingly demonstrating some logical, believable outcomes for an ordinary western family when a government turns against its citizens. His novel reinforces the fact that the events depicted could happen to any of us, not just some foreign “other”.
This novel has been classified as dystopian. But is it really dystopian if the events depicted are actually happening right now?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Dementia, War, Violence, and Torture
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