A review by ashmagoffin
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Set in a near future Ireland which gradually topples under control of a totalitarian power, Prophet Song sucked me in with a false sense of security. It seemed that nothing was happening and then everything was happening at once which I believe was the design. This book shows the reality why people cannot just leave and abandon their homes and countries to escape violence. The lack of quotation marks to demark speech is often a hard thing to get used to but due to this the pace of the novel accelerated to a point that was anxiety inducing and claustrophobic, almost like being pursued. The characters themselves felt authentic, not paper thin but mere victims of circumstance, the situation they are caught up in could happen to any normal family.

This book is described as a dystopian novel but how can you call something dystopian when this book mirrors events that happen to people around the world today and throughout history. This book is unfortunately realism but is an important reminder to western society that an exercise in compassion is needed for the civilians suffering in war-torn countries.

A well worthy winner of the Booker Prize. 5 stars.