What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is. Six ounces of metal, glass and plastic, fashioned into a sleek, shiny, precious object. At once, a gateway to other worlds – and a treacherous weapon in the hands of the unwary, the unwitting, the inept.

The Cleverley family live a gilded life, little realising how precarious their privilege is, just one tweet away from disaster. George, the patriarch, is a stalwart of television interviewing, a ‘national treasure’ (his words), his wife Beverley, a celebrated novelist (although not as celebrated as she would like), and their children, Nelson, Elizabeth, Achilles, various degrees of catastrophe waiting to happen.

Together they will go on a journey of discovery through the Hogarthian jungle of the modern living where past presumptions count for nothing and carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant. Along the way they will learn how volatile, how outraged, how unforgiving the world can be when you step from the proscribed path.

To err is maybe to be human but to really foul things up you only need a phone.

A satirical novel about social media and those trapped in its clutches, John Boyne’s The Echo Chamber follows one self-centred British family who are all well-versed in manipulating others and escaping retribution. The Echo Chamber takes aim at cancel culture from both sides — those ‘cancelled’, and those who cancel.

At the centre of the novel is the revered and respected TV host George Cleverley, who resembles Piers Morgan in his unapologetic, ill-advised commentary on society. His wife, Beverley, is an internationally best-selling author whose works are written by ghost writers but she claims their words are her own. Their three children, Nelson, Achilles and Elizabeth, are flawed in their own right and provide the majority of the entertainment in the novel.

“Although Beverley was sitting in the drawing room of the Cleverleys’ five-floor Belgravia home, trying to maintain a polite interest in the conversation she was holding with a ghost, her mind was far away, soaring 35,000 feet above Europe, on an aeroplane headed for the north-western shore of the Black Sea.”

Written in third person POV and switching between all five members of the family, the humour lands best with Nelson, George’s socially inept son who struggles to talk to women and wears various uniforms to feel comfort and stability. His dialogue with his psychologist is incredibly funny, and his attempts at conversing with women are equally worth a mention.

John’s razor-sharp observation on human and societal interaction takes centre stage with this novel. Prose is stripped back, and the majority of the story is told through dialogue. This shows just how easily John captures a character’s voice, because we have five different characters here and all offer their own unique personality. Whilst I felt that George’s dialogue was overly absurd in some conversations with his family, and he didn’t always feel natural when he spoke, I think John captured the rest of the family members with consistency and reliability.

“The first man he met was a married father of two from Battersea, the indent on the fourth finger of his left hand making it clear that he’d removed his wedding ring on the journey to the pub. Achilles went for a drink with him several times before asking whether he could help him out with a ‘loan’ of $1,000 because, he claimed his landlord was threatening to throw him out on the streets.”

Some people might read this book and find some segments too over the top — they might find the Cleverley family too obnoxious, and edging too far into caricature territory. And I suppose I did feel that in some moments as well. But as a whole, this book offers an entertaining exploration into how social media has shaped our society and how much value we place in our devices.

John’s commentary on social media is devastatingly accurate and rife with clarity. The cover is also a triumph. It’s rare that a novel actually has me laughing aloud, and at times this book even had me snort a little. The Echo Chamber was a joy to read, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

“He counted the items of clothing on his body and it came to a total of five: polyester scrub top and trousers, boxer shorts, socks and a pair of old trainers. Standard hospital wear. And even though he knew that he was probably the least fashionable person in London and the South-East, he appreciated the fact that his outfit made him stand out in the crowd.”

Sharp, observant and utterly enjoyable, The Echo Chamber is recommended for readers of literary fiction and satirical works. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Echo Chamber
John Boyne
August 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers

It is 1865 and in a coastal village in southern England, Nell picks violets for a living. Set apart from her community because of the birthmarks that pepper her skin, Nell keeps her head down and her sights small: her world is her beloved brother and devotion to the sea.

Then, Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders arrives on the outskirts of the village. Nell keeps her distance, but the night after the circus has apparently left, she is kidnapped. Her father has sold her, promising Jasper Jupiter his very own leopard girl. It is the greatest betrayal of Nell’s life, but as she comes to know the other performers and Jasper’s quieter, gentler brother Toby, Nell begins to wonder if becoming part of the Circus of Wonders is the best thing that has ever happened to her.

Toby has always stuck to his brother’s side: the shadow to his brother’s luminous light. When Jasper served in the Crimean War, Toby followed with his camera, and they share a secret – hidden amongst the carnage of those battlefields – which binds them together.

But Toby is captivated by Nell. She has become Nellie Moon, the star of Jasper’s show. In London she is written up in the papers as the eighth wonder of the world, figurines are cast in her image, and crowds rush to watch her soar through the air.

But who gets to tell Nell’s story? And as she falls in love with Toby, can they plot their escape? As the world Jasper has created threatens to crash to the ground around him, Toby must decide where – finally – his loyalty lies.

Set in 1866 and exploring the Victorian obsession with the unnatural, Elizabeth Macneal’s Circus of Wonders is a mesmerising tale of wonder and beauty, and wielding power in search of success.

Speckled head to toe in birthmarks, flower picker Nellie isn’t considered special by anyone except her brother Charlie. She’s avoided, and cast aside. And when her drunken father sells her to a travelling troupe — Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders — she finds herself thrust into the spotlight, famous and desired. People come from all over to see her.

“The threshing machine, she thinks, as she’s lifted higher, as hands grip her waist, her legs, her hips, as she writhes and kicks and scratches. Her fury is a relief, that she can give into it at last and become exactly what they expect of her.”

Circus of Wonders explores the exertion of power, and what it means to use others for entertainment — for amusement. There’s no doubt that Jasper Jupiter is acting primarily in his own best interests. He cares about success and money, and he’ll use anyone he can to get it. Even his own brother, the downtrodden and despondent Toby.

In a novel with so many colourful characters, each one is crafted with depth and dimension. We keep pace with all of them, growing alongside them throughout the novel. Jasper and Toby, alike in backstory, are very different in personality and desire. You can see their paths diverge, as Jasper chases fame and desire to dangerous lengths, and Toby craves a safe home — to be loved and included.

Elizabeth captures the setting incredibly well, expertly bringing to life the squalor and poverty of the Victorian era, as well as the incessant desire to be something far greater than what you are. People may expect little of you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rise above expectations and prove them all wrong.

“It occurred to Toby, too, that Dash couldn’t remember his name because Jasper never spoke of him; even the lowest underling at Toby’s old office knew all about Jasper. He lowered his head and cleared the area for his first photograph. The sky was so blue it hurt to see it.”

The story leaps from the page with exquisite characters and description. The progressive deterioration of Jasper’s hold on the circus is both frightening and engrossing to read.

Circus of Wonders gives a voice to a group of people from history who spent their lives being ridiculed — laughed at, stared at, and in some cases, maimed and prodded. Many readers will be familiar with P.T Barnum, and Circus of Wonders is set during a similar time frame. Whilst some of the description can be a bit long and in excess, those fascinated by magical, wondrous tales will find themselves absorbed in these pages.

“But in the bright dawn light, she finds herself frightened, unsure. She stares at the speckles across her legs and arms, then pulls on her trousers. In these new, fresh clothes she finds her marks itch less, her body less hot than before.”

A tale of resilience and determination, and forging your own family, Circus of Wonders is for fans of The Greatest Showman, The Night Circus and A Girl Made Of Air by Nydia Hetherington.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Circus of Wonders
Elizabeth Macneal
May 2021
Pan Macmillan Publishers