The Echo Chamber is a story of the dysfunctional family of George Cleverley, a genial TV chat show show host, and the ills of social media, and one I had heard much about in my online book club.
The family are skilfully described, perhaps too much so as most of the characters are pretty odious and I found it difficult to connect with them. Therefore, this time, I haven't managed to finish it. I will come back to it another time I think, but it wasn't the right book for me just at the moment.

I love John Boyne so I knew before I started this that I would enjoy it and it didn’t disappoint!! It tells the trials and tribulations of the Cleverley family and their experiences of social media. Some laugh out loud moments but also made me really think about our use of social media. I thought twice before I tweeted how much I loved it!

Another fantastic John Boyne novel, he never fails to amaze, laugh out loud humour,very entertaining,when is the next one?!

Written by one of my favourite authors, this novel is superb! It is laugh out loud funny, irreverent, contemporary and incredibly un-pc! The writing is perfect and there is a cast of characters that you absolutely love to hate! I read at every available opportunity but I didn’t want the book to end. It’s a triumph and I know exactly what I’m going to be buying everyone for Christmas this year!

This may not be vintage Boyne, but it’s still a thoroughly entertaining read and shows a cheeky side to the author that I really like. Here is lampoonery at its finest — sharp, caustic and witty, and delivered with a keenness of eye that had me chuckling with delight.

As the title suggests, The Echo Chamber is all about the obsessive world of social media, and Boyne does a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek job of dissecting the issues, whilst having a pop or two at “wokeness” and almost every other aspect of modern society along the way.

The butt of this biting satire is the nouveau riche Cleverley family: patriarch George, a BBC chat-show host and “national treasure” (his words), wife Beverley, author (sort of) of romantic fiction, and their three indulged, entitled children — introvert Nelson, who feels confident only when dressed in a uniform (medic, policeman — he’s not fussy); hashtag queen, Elizabeth, whose single goal in life is a blue tick on her Twitter account; and the baby of the family, 17 year-old Achilles, who runs a lucrative bribery scam (older men, beware!).

Boyne always creates magnificent characters. And here we have the added titillation of caricature, which he draws boldly and with gloriously deft touches. My favorites were Beverly, who employs a “ghost” for her novels but swans around like she’s god’s gift to literature, and Elizabeth, whose Twitter trolling and hashtags had me snorty laughing.

These exaggerations stand in stark contrast to the little vignettes Boyne weaves in of the Cleverley family pre current times, which evoke a wistful sense of nostalgia for the good old days.

Of course, there’s a dark side to this story — the vileness that rages unchecked through social media; the unhealthy obsession with image; the damage caused by interacting more with technology than with human beings. And Boyne exposes all of it beautifully. It comes as no surprise then that all five members of the Cleverley are orchestrators of their own downfall.

An enormously enjoyable read, deserving of 4.5 stars.

So funny from start to finish. What a family. Talk about dysfunction junction. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. All of the characters were funny and so screwed up. None of the Cleverley family really seemed aware of what parents/siblings were doing until the story is arrested! I think the only character to come unstuck was Ustym - bless him but he’d had a good innings. Even thinking about the characters makes me smile.
Treat yourself to something lighthearted and have a giggle. You’ll love it I’m sure.

In this novel, Boyne commits perhaps the most cardinal sin of any satirist: he fails to be even remotely funny. I'm not saying that lightly. Boyne has been one of my go-to authors for years. The Absolutist remains one of my all-time favourite books. He does many things well; his grasp of language is enviable, his ability to invoke pathos is incredible. Alas, he simply cannot tell a joke. His sense of humour reminds me of those old cartoons published in the Daily Mail, where the punchline is just 'hahaha young people are stupid, unlike me, A Wise Old Sage of 53.' This just isn't an effective satire; beyond being about as humorous as an arm bereft of an elbow, it's often hard to tell who he's attempting to skewer. The characters were all hateful and two-dimensional, and it was a genuine slog to finish. A complete miss for me, which is a shame considering how much I love much of Boyne's oeuvre.

I’ve read almost all of John Boyne’s books, I’d consider some of his earlier books as some of my all time favourites.

However there’s been a definite shift in his writing since My Brother’s Name is Jessica and I find myself no longer having the same enthusiasm for his books. I was unsure about requesting this one and I should have listened to my gut on this one.
It wasn’t for me. I appreciate it’s meant to be satire but it fell so far from the mark for me.
Couldn’t recommend this at all and could see why a lot of people could be offended and/or hurt by it.

Hmmmm I was torn throughout this whole book. I have absolutely loved Boyne's previous novels - particularly The Hearts Invisible Furies (Cyril is one of the best literary characters ever) - however this one kind of just had me on edge trying to work out what it was he was trying to say. I get it is comedy and satire - although I didn't find it all that funny, but it felt at times like it was a huge passive aggressive temper tantrum based on what happened following the release of My Brother Jessica (which I have not read). I also completely understand why Boyne would be upset at what occured and why he has felt the need to lash back out and to do so via a means he is good at - writing, but I also feel that he could have taken some of the criticism on board and handled it differently. Again though - how the criticism was aimed at him, was not particularly nice or constructive... so again - torn.

So anyway, contraversy aside (if that's possible) - what I did love about this book is its relevency - it shines a very strong light onto social media and the way we are all living on our phones and how it is impacting relationships and careers. And I also loved the characters. They were absolutely awful people, however for some reason I was still rooting for them. I don't know why. I think that's the writer's skill. They were terrible people who said and did terrible things, however I did feel sorry for them at times and I was able to see points from both sides of the arguments (at rare times). It was also different to anything I have read lately, so it was a nice change of pace.

I can't see this one receiving the same success and praise as some of his past work, but it certainly has people talking and hopefully thinking a little bit about how they act on-line. And whilst I definitely do not agree with a lot of the things the characters say or do in this book (again, probably part of the point), it kept me interested and hooked until the very end. I also think I will be thinking about it for a good while to come.

This is the first John Boyne book I have read and whilst I appreciate the satire and absurdity of both the characters and events, I found the book made me angry and annoyed at the sheer stupidity and narcissistic behaviour of the Cleverley family. I believe this was the exact intention so it was effectively portrayed. A true disaster waiting to happen. Sadly the satirical purpose/ humour of events was not to my tastes.
I enjoyed the skilful use of language and the underlying powerful message would give anyone something to reflect upon and certainly consider their use of technology / social media.

Gave up at 50%. I’ve read and loved two of John Boynes previous books and the Echo Chamber sounded great. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I couldn’t take to the characters and just basically thought the book was plain stupid. Sorry but not for me.

Very mixed feelings about this title. The Cleverley family are extreme characters to say the least. This leans from being a satirical observation, to a farce, to a very observant portrayal of political correctness gone mad. I found much of it very funny but some of it extreme and over the top - but then social media does meet those extremes!
Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/John Boyne/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Omg I am so so grateful to have early access to this fabulous book. I adore this author. This book captures the insanity of our world today. The difference in perceptions between generations, gender, workplace and love. It is thrilling and funny and heartbreaking at times.

John boyne is a master of telling x

He's one of my favourite authors and that's for the simple fact that he doesn't just slavishly keep churning out books in just one genre but is always willing to go out on a limb and try something new.

From YA fiction to intense adult drama about abuse in the Catholic church, time-travelling epics to supernatural thrillers, John Boyne has done it all.

His latest, The Echo Chamber, is a biting satire which examines cancel culture, a world gone mad with wokeness and how the incessant buzz of social media and the drive to collect followers is jeopardising out real relationships.

In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, Boyne revealed that he was inspired to write it following the outcry that followed the publication of his 2019 YA novel, My Brother’s Name Is Jessica, which is a story told from the perspective of a boy experiencing his sibling’s transition.

Critics and social media commentators went wild, accusing John of transphobia and of writing about what he didn't properly understand. The author, who is gay, was also berated for choosing to write from the brother's perspective instead of focusing on the character who was transitioning.

There were calls for a boycott, trolls on Twitter spread rumours and lies about him and he even received death threats.

"I was really shocked and frightened," Boyne told The Guardian. "It was very, very upsetting to be so misrepresented by people online, and to be called names and to have death threats. And to be represented as somebody who is a bigot, or a hater in some way . . . That is the absolute opposite of who I am as a person and who I am as a writer.”

It was all this that prompted him to write The Echo Chamber and he hopes after reading it people will re-examine their relationship with social media – or at the very least, think twice before hitting the send button.

"I mean, there’s a reason that Twitter was the platform of choice for Donald Trump," Boyne says. "It’s a place where you can just be awful, and you don’t get called on it a lot.” 

The Echo Chamber will be available in book stores from next week. – JANE VORSTER


WHAT THE ECHO CHAMBER IS ABOUT:

What a thing of wonder a cellphone is. 170 grams 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 television personality, 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.
 
They're all about to discover how carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant and 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. - SOURCE: www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za

My thanks to Random House U.K./Transworld Doubleday for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Echo Chamber’ by John Boyne in exchange for an honest review.

This is the sharpest, most wickedly funny satire that I have ever read. John Boyne has social media in his sights and is taking no prisoners. I won’t go into the controversy that inspired ‘The Echo Chamber’ as information is readily available. There is also no doubt that feathers will be ruffled by this novel. Boyne’s particular targets are the ‘Permanently Outraged of Twitter’ (POOTs) and the ‘Woke’ Left. Still, he is happy to poke fun at many aspects of modern life, far too many to mention.

Central to the novel is the Cleverley family. George is the patriarch: a BBC chat-show host, a total lovey and self-proclaimed national treasure. His wife, Beverley, writes popular romance novels, though for years her publishers have provided her with a ghostwriter, known throughout the novel only as The Ghost. Both George and Beverley are having affairs. Beverley’s is with Pylyp Tataryn, her ‘Strictly’ dance partner who leaves his pet tortoise, Ustym Karmaliuk, in her care when he returns to Ukraine to visit his family. This is the tortoise depicted on the front cover.

Then there’s their young adult offspring: Elizabeth, 21, is addicted to social media and covets a blue tick; Nelson, 22, is a socially awkward teacher, and finally Achilles, 17, is extremely handsome and has used his looks and wit to find a rather unorthodox way of earning money.

Of the three, I found Elizabeth the most relatable. She often uses her fake account @TruthIsASword, to spend “a very pleasant hour abusing complete strangers on Twitter.” At one point she decides to troll herself with hilarious results as she switches back and forth between accounts. It reminded me of the pre-Twitter days of sock puppets.

‘The Echo Chamber’ is not only very funny but also highlights the current obsession with ‘cancel culture’ and how things can easily snowball on social media. The novel opens with two relevant quotes. Umberto Eco referring to social media as the ‘invasion of the idiots’ and Jon Ronson from ‘So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed’: “The snowflake never needs to feel responsible for the avalanche.”

I consider ‘The Echo Chamber’ a satirical masterpiece. Farcical in places but the Cleverley family are intentionally so. It is also very different from John Boyne’s other novels. Will it cause outrage? I expect that it will in some quarters but good satire always does. I saw this novel praised as ‘Hogarthian’ and I felt that this is a fair description.

Overall, I loved it from start to finish and quickly purchased its hardback edition.

Very highly recommended.

Modern farcical romp anyone? John Boyne's new novel confused me at first, then the characters annoyed me, then I recognised it for what it is - dark satirical comedy. If that is not the author's intention, then I am obviously way off the mark.

The book tells the story of a family falling apart, while remaining convinced that each of them is fine. They are all vacuous, clueless and horrible, but I grew to love all of them. The characters that Boyne has created here are not lovable, but the tale of this family in turmoil had me hooked.

Once the tangle of relationships became clear, this became a real page turner, like watching a car crash,

If you were not already convinced of the evils of social media and cancel culture this will enlighten you, and make you laugh out loud and cringe.

When I started this book I wasn't sure about it, despite being a fan of John Boyne's writing. However, I'm so glad I didn't give up as I thought it was really good! The Cleverley family live in London. George is a presenter on the BBC and Beverley is a writer. They have 3 young adult children. The point of this story is the total dependence society has on social media, and how one comment can be misconstrued. It also deals with the current woke culture. I found it really funny and a brilliant comment on our lives today.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A book of satire - I loved it! Very different to other books I have read by the author but fantastic all the same. It had me unexpectedly laughing out loud at the antics of the characters throughout.
So whats it about, in brief it follows the five members of the Cleverley Family - a bbc presenter, an author, a teacher, a fame hungry twitter-er and a teenager. The family are just living their lives and occasionally interacting with social media like many of us...or are they!
Another smasher from John Boyne.

Yet again John Boyne gets it right when he writes about what he knows, there's a definite autobiographical air to this novel and it's interesting to remember his own social media drama. I also love the fact that he's made his lead characters fallible, it's made the whole thing more credible and way more entertaining.
The Cleverly family are extremely privileged and not the nicest people, in fact for the most part they are pretty vile. Running alongside their story is the story of social media, and how it has affected their lives and millions of other lives.
A great read with plenty to think about.

The Echo Chamber by John Boyne
Pub Date 5 August 2021
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.
John Boyne's novels are all infinitely individual, distinct and superbly written. The Echo Chamber is no exception. It is filled with plenty of humour and satire.
This book is a look into society's reliance on social media. It covers political correctness, the need to be seen as "woke", and the expulsion and trolling of individuals who voice their opinions in a way not acceptable to some in today's society, however innocent the comment may have been.
Despite the humour, this book opens your eyes to how, for many people, social media has become an obsession, an addiction, a portal into another reality, be it positive or harmful.
The story is fast-paced, it did not read like a classic John Boyne, but I enjoyed every word of it from start to finish.
I want to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and author John Boyen for a pre-publication copy to review.