Irish winner of the booker prize 2023: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

Did you smash it

Was announced tonight. Sounds an interesting premise but I really liked The Bee Sting

rogber

I honestly wonder if the riots last week tipped the vote in Lynch's favour. The reviews for the book were actually mixed and in the run up to the prize the strong consensus seemed to be that Bee Sting was the best book on the shortlist. But the Booker judges love something topical to make the prize look politically switched on and Lynch may have got a bit of luck with what happened last week, now everyone saying "see, fascist Ireland isn't an unrealistic premise!"

cheese sandwich

Haven’t read this and to be honest am always a bit cynical about “relevant” and “urgent” books, the messaging often overwhelms the plot and characterisation. But maybe I’ll give it a go.

I’m currently reading The Bee Sting which is funny and enjoyable if very reminiscent of a Jonathan Franzen novel (not that that is a bad thing)

Thargor

I was looking forward to reading this but the stream of consciousness zero punctuation writing style is really getting on my nerves now, having to reread whole pages because of it, it makes the whole thing unnecessary hard work.

Thargor

Having finished this now Im glad I did, it definitely packs a punch, could have done with a bit more detail about what was actually happening in the country and hated the aforementioned writing style right to the end.

cloudatlas

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lumphammer2

I remember years back one Christmas during a powercut caused by an unnatural for Ireland hurricane my cousins and I sitting in candlelight drinking beer and talking about an American film called The Postman …. my cousins laughed at the premise …. a neo-Nazi takeover of America by 2013 … A second civil war had started and brought a militaristic hardline far right regime to power …. the film flopped and was laughed at … won the so-called Razzies !! … and it ruined Kevin Costner's career until Yellowstone ….

I eventually saw the film on TV and found it good but a tad too long …. I saw it during the post-9/11 early Iraq war period and could see certain things in the film developing …. By 2009/2010 I saw the rise of the Tea Party fanatics in America …. a pro Iran war anti-Obama cabal of fanatics …. and then saw them find their pupper promoter in Donald Trump a few years later ….. around 2013/14 Trump turned from moderate Democrat to pandering fascist so it is not too far removed from The Postman !! ….

America has had a disastrous Trump presidency and a spectre of another one …. I discovered The Handmaid's Tale during the early Trump presidency and watch it and then read the book …. I noticed the similarities to The Postman only this had a name for the regime …. Republic of Gilead …. the Handmaid's Tale is superior to The Postman admittedly …. but part of the reason it was taken more seriously is how close to reality it was by the 2018/2019/2020 era … the January 6th riots by the Tea Party fanatics now calling themselves QAnon, Oath Keepers and other fancy names came v close to the backstory in Handmaid's …. Trump #2 should it happen will be closer to the worlds of these dystopias no doubt …. expect curbs on democracy and war with Iran within months of he coming into office …

Still and all Irish people would often say it cannot happen in Ireland …. but this is what Prophet Song describes …. the unthinkable rise of a fanatic regime in Ireland …. we have our crackpot far right parties here but none of them have much power …. we saw them try and represent people sick of long lockdowns during Covid but they did not succeed in winning many over …. we see them try and stoke anti-migrant fervour and anti-trans agendas today …. we notice they do not have any positive policies only against certain things … we notice how violent they can be with terrorist fires set in buildings and beatings of people they consider 'different' and threatening of regular politicians …..

Prophet Song is a great book, thought provoking …. but could it happen …. what is the emergency? …. who are the National Alliance? …. reports of 'far right' rising in Europe have long been raised …. PM Meloni of Italy for example but she is to me more normal than far right …. she has not done anything extreme … Viktor Orban of Hungary is often labelled as far right but does nothing like in Prophet Song ….

It is clear what is in Prophet song seems to be unique in a Europe that would have had Orban and others …. v clear the National Alliance regime is fanatic and offers paradise for regime supporters and hell for all others …. it is clear the people in te book do not realise the extent of the regime until they are in its grip … they dismiss the secret police GNSB as not the Stasi only to find out that is true …. but in they being more brutal ….

This is unthinkable in modern Ireland and I cannot see Ireland turn into something like this overnight …. but a wrong direction could lead to it …. like 9/11 changed America and brought about the warmongering Tea Party …. some similar event in Ireland could create a need for a national emergency that shoves some to the far right ….. I can also see someone like Trump being a close pal of the National Alliance so they would have powerful backers …. Prophet Song is a warning not to vote for far right and people should vote for moderates always not extremists …..