Review by retros_x - Prophet Song

retros_x 's review for:

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

4.5

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is a tough read. Both due to the prose and the topics. I was often mainly angry due to the unfairness and unrelentness of the events that happen and this is the first book in years that made me physically unwell. Especially in the first half I had scenes where I felt the same unease as the protagonist manifesting itself as a compression in my chest. It also took me a bit to get into the prose, but its worth it. It is written without paragraph breaks and with inline dialogue, the prose really effectively increasing the tension and claustrophobia of a democracy becoming a regime. The metaphors and evocative language really help to transport the feeling of dreadful fear that overcomes the protagonist more and more.

Sometimes the prose is a bit too much though, in some scenes it takes away from powerful character interactions. Also in the second half, its not so much anymore about democracy getting undermined and disintegrated ...

but about civil war and being a civilian and refugee in war zones.

In this part I think the prose is not really fitting anymore for some chapters, but in the infamous hospital scene and the last chapter the restless sentence structure and prose is fitting again.

I also really liked the explanation of the book title in the end.

Content Warnings