A review by seawarrior
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

5.0

No One is Talking About This displays the pathetic absurdity of social media, specifically Twitter, through fragmented events in our vain and profoundly idiotic protagonist's life. She spends the first part of the novel submerging herself further and further into the vapid, foolish indifference of "the portal", relishing in the fame she's experienced for creating viral content out of moronic behavior. We are forced along this ride with her, witnessing desperate and meaningless posting that mirrors discourses that I either know for a fact happened on Twitter, or realistically could have. Suddenly, her life is turned upside-down by her sister's pregnancy which is expected to result in a stillborn girl with a brain and body doomed to die. With abortion out of the question, the sister has no option but to give birth to this daughter. In her grief, the woman starts to disconnect from the portal, noting how ridiculous it seems to post her way through the situation. Yet miraculously, the baby survives, and the woman spends a tender six months loving her niece, whose time is fleeting. Lockwood's precision in describing events and emotions makes this book a riveting and intelligent read that urges us to search for meaning in a mad world. Personally, the book inspired me to finally quit using Twitter and engage with my loved ones in a more personal manner. I highly recommend this book to anyone at odds with their own social media dependence, and to readers looking for stories that are both laughable and profound.