A review by contemporarymeepsie
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Prophet Song is a near-future dystopian tale of a country on the brink of collapse. Eilish Stack is a mother of 4 whose husband is taken for questioning by Ireland's newly formed secret police. When he doesn't return home she must face a collapsing society, her son eldest son turned rebel and everything she knows and loves being taken away or destroyed. This is a story of war, motherhood and the awful choices humanity makes.
I don't really know where to start with this review. Prophet Song was a harrowing, beautiful, upsetting experience. Written more like poetry then prose, every line is an experience all upon itself which at first I loved, then started to drag midway, then I appreciated again towards the end. In a weird way it detached me from the emotion of the experiences Eilish was having (which both helped at certain parts and hindered in others). Regardless it was a very beautifully poignant story because of the writing style. I wish I had read reviews before reading it however as I needed a content warning for
the end of chapter 8
which left me feeling numb and broken. Otherwise I found the book engaging and infuriating all in equal measure. I think I was infuriated because
Eilish had so many opportunitiesto leave and yet she kept making excuses to stay.
the worst thing is that I know I would be exactly the same. It was like holding a mirror up to my own naivity.
Overall I would definitely recommend but only to certain people or with a heavy content warning attached.
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