Scan barcode
A review by bec54321
Orchid & the Wasp by Caoilinn Hughes
4.0
3.75 rounded up. This is a fascinating book that exists entirely in reaction to the crash of ’08 and the swift demise of Ireland’s Celtic Tiger economy. It's something of a cultural artefact in that sense. I thought it was a really exciting if at times challenging debut.
The novel tells the story of a jaded young woman who feels the injustices of the world so deeply that she responds by doubling down on gaming the system, by hook or by crook. As a reader you witness the diabolical, borderline nihilistic way she navigates through a series of increasingly absurd situations of her own reckless design. Any evidence of Gael’s dormant humanity is directed towards her younger brother, the titular orchid to her wasp.
This book packs a lot in and I do wish the earlier chapters had been tighter and the pacing more consistent, but as a debut it’s very impressive. Caoilinn Hughes’ contemporaries cite her wit and craft with reverence, which is how I became aware of her. I have to agree with them.
The novel tells the story of a jaded young woman who feels the injustices of the world so deeply that she responds by doubling down on gaming the system, by hook or by crook. As a reader you witness the diabolical, borderline nihilistic way she navigates through a series of increasingly absurd situations of her own reckless design. Any evidence of Gael’s dormant humanity is directed towards her younger brother, the titular orchid to her wasp.
This book packs a lot in and I do wish the earlier chapters had been tighter and the pacing more consistent, but as a debut it’s very impressive. Caoilinn Hughes’ contemporaries cite her wit and craft with reverence, which is how I became aware of her. I have to agree with them.