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uncleanjoe 's review for:
Prophet Song
by Paul Lynch
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Paul Lynch's Prophet Song is about a society descending into fascism and war. It is told through the eyes of a Eilish, a wife and mother, and throughout the novel Eilish's world begins to unwind, beginning with the disappearance of her husband at the hands of the regime. Writing this in the year 2025, Eilish's suffering cuts like a knife, as Lynch manages to convey how fascism pushes a society to the point of no return.
Part of the tragedy in this novel is how passive Eilish is, as the events of the world are often happening to her. Throughout the novel there is a question concerning why those soon-to-be victims of fascist repression fail to just leave beforehand. In Eilish's case I believe it was because to leave would mean she accepted the fact that her husband's disappearance was permanent. And how can we blame her, though certainly the consequences of her inaction seem unreasonably high, for being unable to accept the unthinkable?
I dread to think that Prophet Song will be prophetic novel, and reading this book today is an exercise in anxiety. Unfortunately, the events depicted in this novel have already happened in our lifetime outside of "the west," be it in Syria or Argentina or Russia. I understand that some criticize Lynch by suggesting that the story in Prophet Song is not his to tell, but I don't feel that way. Reading a fictional take set in a modern day Ireland has a different punch to it, for better or worse, than a similar autobiographical account set in Syria for example. The reason I think is the same why [book:The Handmaid's Tale|34454589] hits so much harder than an historical account of female repression in Saudi Arabia (at least for "western" readers). And that is because we fear our nightmares more than we fear others' reality, and Eilish is a stand-in every white liberal mother imagining the worst. And perhaps the greatest fear of all is that we will all be as helpless (and blind) as Eilish was in the face of fascist repression.
Prophet Song is certainly not a book for everyone, both due to its tough subject matter and Lynch's lyrical prose. I found his style to be like José Saramago, long unbroken paragraphs, and I understand that this style is not for everyone. Nevertheless I was moved by this book, in sorrow and in fear of the future, and how can I not recommend it then.
Part of the tragedy in this novel is how passive Eilish is, as the events of the world are often happening to her. Throughout the novel there is a question concerning why those soon-to-be victims of fascist repression fail to just leave beforehand. In Eilish's case I believe it was because to leave would mean she accepted the fact that her husband's disappearance was permanent. And how can we blame her, though certainly the consequences of her inaction seem unreasonably high, for being unable to accept the unthinkable?
I dread to think that Prophet Song will be prophetic novel, and reading this book today is an exercise in anxiety. Unfortunately, the events depicted in this novel have already happened in our lifetime outside of "the west," be it in Syria or Argentina or Russia. I understand that some criticize Lynch by suggesting that the story in Prophet Song is not his to tell, but I don't feel that way. Reading a fictional take set in a modern day Ireland has a different punch to it, for better or worse, than a similar autobiographical account set in Syria for example. The reason I think is the same why [book:The Handmaid's Tale|34454589] hits so much harder than an historical account of female repression in Saudi Arabia (at least for "western" readers). And that is because we fear our nightmares more than we fear others' reality, and Eilish is a stand-in every white liberal mother imagining the worst. And perhaps the greatest fear of all is that we will all be as helpless (and blind) as Eilish was in the face of fascist repression.
Prophet Song is certainly not a book for everyone, both due to its tough subject matter and Lynch's lyrical prose. I found his style to be like José Saramago, long unbroken paragraphs, and I understand that this style is not for everyone. Nevertheless I was moved by this book, in sorrow and in fear of the future, and how can I not recommend it then.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Torture, War