The Echo Chamber – John Boyne

 Meet the Cleverley family who enjoy a privileged lifestyle funded by successful parents: George Cleverley, television journalist turned chat show host; and Beverly Cleverley, best-selling author churning out romantic fluff. Both are having secret affairs. The three children (17 to 23) benefit from liberal upbringing and generous allowances.

Eldest Nelson actually has a job at the school he used to attend, where he is bullied, as he was when a pupil. Next is Elizabeth with ambitions to be an on-line influencer, and a boyfriend so woke that he gets Elizabeth to sign a written consent when they make love. Youngest Achilles uses his boyish good looks and charm to provide an income from honey-trapped middled-aged men.

So far, so harmless. Just your regular 2020’s family, until:

George is hit by a double-whammy, his lover announces she is pregnant, and he gets into a pronoun tangle with a transitioning receptionist, a gaff amplified by the echo chamber of social media. Beverly (who no longer actually writes her books but employs a ‘ghost’ to ‘fill out’ her creative ideas) finds she is losing her lover, a Ukrainian dancer whom she partnered on Strictly. Nelson, who hides his insecurity by dressing up in uniforms to which he has no right, goes a step too far when he changes from nurse’s scrubs to police officer. Elizabeth, whose @ElizCleverley social media presence is pitiful, finds vilely trolling celebrities, including her father, as @TruthIsASword more rewarding in terms of followers. As for Achilles, his latest mark seems to have gone cold, requiring the ante to be upped.

The five story lines ricochet forward reflecting life in the modern, media obsessed, fast lane, but they are all heading pear shaped.

It is fast paced, easy, entertaining reading, the characters relatable and not so much bad as caught in bad situations. It is funny, with some slapstick moments, holding up a mirror to society, and taking a few well-meaning pot shots at political correctness and woke behaviour.

The High House – Jessie Greengrass

The High House – Jessie Greengrass

The location of the High House is unclear, other than it is a few miles inland and built on high rocky ground. Francesca, a climate change scientist and activist, convinced sea levels will soon rise disastrously, chose it for that reason and spends years fixing it up, clearing the attached smallholding, and latterly stocking it up with enough food, clothing, spare parts, and toys to make it self-sufficient.

The toys are a late addition as Francesca falls pregnant, but baby Paul sees little of his globetrotting mother, being left increasingly in the care of teenage stepsister, Caro.

In the coastal village below the High House another teenager, Sally, lives with her ‘Grandy’, who makes a living caretaking holiday homes left empty over winter. With the clock ticking to Armageddon, Francesca appoints Grandy as full time concierge at High House, and she recruits a reluctant Sally as housekeeper – Grandy is getting on and this is a long term project.

Finally the panicked word comes to Caro – don’t delay, get Pauly and yourself off to the High House.

Narrated in flashback by Caro, Sally, and a lesser extent Pauly, the preparation, disaster, and aftermath are told in personal and understated detail. These are resourceful girls, and you root for them. The novel is an excellent blend of a dystopian story of a near future and a study of relationships in a closed community of just four.