Obviously John Lanchester's going to write a terrific book (well, it would be highly surprising if he didn't). I like the way this one starts off as almost John O'Farrell, quickly twists...and then twists again. (And some of the reminiscences of 1980s Oxford were, of course, dead spot on.) It's a novel that reads like a thriller and then becomes a disturbing question into morality. Great stuff.

I was expecting something quite lighthearted and comedic, but what I found was something much more insightful and emotionally nuanced. This story begins with a smug married middle-age middle class couple, Kate and Jack. They have a happy marriage, with plenty of in-jokes and unspoken words.

When Jack unexpectedly and suddenly dies, Kate naturally goes to pieces. When she starts watching the latest TV hit ‘Cheaters’ Kate is devastated and bewildered to hear their personal love language broadcast across the nation.

Meanwhile, Phoebe, the writer of the series, is dealing with her own issues, including a narcissistic mother, an unavailable twin and a career that has spiralled out of recognition. The two women’s lives come crashing together in a great unraveling.

The characters are so well developed and intricately known - I wasn’t expecting the level of insight and knowledge. The female protagonists are expertly drawn and brought to life.

I can certainly see this being made into a tv drama and it would work brilliantly

I have read most of Mr Lanchester’s novels and what has struck me in the past is how different they are. At first look this book appears to abandon that distinctiveness as it is London set as was “Capital”. But “Capital”was a look at the state of the nation so the character list was diverse whereas “Look what you made me do” covers a rather narrower cast which includes an architect, screenwriter, actor. Even an ex-con is a multi millionaire. And the story is that of revenge and revengers so we are indeed on a different path from the preceding novels. In fact we have a tale that is by turns laugh out loud funny, saddening and cruel. I particularly enjoyed the plot twists where an apparently inconsequential event later transpires to hold great significance. The final point to note is that this was one of those rare books where I paced my reading because I didn’t want to finish it too quickly. Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for this review copy:

This was a real page turner given the quality and cleverness of. the plot and how it draws you in. The two key characters Kate and Phoebe are both monsters in their own right driven as they are by a lethal combination of rage and revenge. They are both beautifully drawn and depicted as we get deep inside their heads and learn what drives them both on.

Other characters become collateral damage, caught as they become entwined in the struggle between the two main protagonists.

The writing is tense yet suffused with comedy and laughter as well as brilliant characterisation.

A sure fire best seller

John Lanchester is a versatile writer. Just because you’ve read one novel of his, don’t assume you know what the next will be like. I had read his previous book, The Wall, which packed a powerful punch and was a dark portrayal of migration, borders and walls dividing people and countries. I appreciated its emotional depth and it stayed with me long after I closed the book.

Look what you made me do illustrates for me Lanchester’s considerable ability as a writer, as it is so different to The Wall but equally brilliant. Set in contemporary London, it is a funny and cutting portrayal of contemporary life, with characters who are far from perfect. The plotting is well-crafted and satisfying, with twists that keep the reader on their toes and engaged. I enjoyed the references to recent media phenomena it made me laugh out loud several times.

I will be recommending this book to lots of different groups, including readers who enjoy thrillers, social commentary and comedy. A smart page-turner with some sharp commentary on technology, media and relationships.

"Look What You Made Me Do" was my first encounter with John Lanchester's writing and it left a lasting impression.

The interweaving narratives of Kate's and Phoebe's made the plot dynamic and no ends were left untied. There was darkness, there was humour, there was psychological complexity with no obvious villains and no obvious victims. "Look What You Made Me Do" actually made me turn the pages with a lot of curiosity and anticipation. The rationale behind characters' actions and choices was probable and believable, many of them oscillating around control - gaining and maintaining it, no matter what.

In my opinion, bids for control were a recurring theme of this novel: from social interactions at a dinner party to asserting control over someone else's life and sanity. Overall, very enjoyable read.

John Lanchester is such a talented and versatile writer and this book does not disappoint. I loved the clever, twisty plot and the well-drawn characters. The writing, as always, is superb. A joy to read and highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

e start with Kate and her husband Jack. As with most couples, they have developed their own secret language. Made up words, adjusted phrases, in-jokes, nicknames for each other and other people... you know the sort of thing. Sadly tragedy strikes, and Kate is left alone. She starts to watch the latest hit reality TV show - Cheaters - and is shocked when their own secret language is broadcast to the nation. How on earth have they got hold of it? It's Jack's and hers. Not shared outside the marriage. Not by her anyway... And Jack isn't around to ask...
Meanwhile, we also meet Phoebe, the writer of Cheaters, who has a different load of stuff on her plate. How is she connected to Kate and Jack? How did she pick up on their language?
Then their two worlds collide, and well... you'll want to be there for that fallout!
Oh my days, after beginning to feel so sorry for Kate, as her personality started to shine through her grief, she kinda became a bit more complicated, I wish I could explain, but spoilers. Tbh though, Phoebe wasn't all nice either, despite again, my initial sympathies to what she also had to contend with. Again spoilers... But, what I can say is that the both of them were absolutely cracking characters for me to really get my teeth into.
It's a game of two halves, of revenge, and counter-revenge if you like, with a side order of control! Escalating, expanding, and eventually also involving innocents. And it is deliciously darky funny too! And so very well plotted, you really do need to keep on your toes throughout. Everything matters!
And the ending, the truth, the whole, when it all came flooding out. Shocking and perfect, and so clever. What is also shocking is that, before this book, I had never read this author before. Having thoroughly enjoyed this one, I am definitely going to look out for more. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I absolutely loved this book! A clever whip smart analysis of comfortable middle class London culture, with the cleverest of endings. If you enjoyed “Capital “ and “The Wall”, you ll really enjoy this latest from John Lanchester. With sincere thanks to @netgalley for the advance copy in return for my review. A 5 star read.

Having read Capital for university a few years ago, I was very looking forward to reading John Lanchester's new novel and what a read!

A really clever book! A bit of a revenge plot but done in a very cool way. You don't see it coming and I loved that! The whole TV show plot was really enjoyable. Loved the mother daughter relationship bits too, so traumatic.

This is a novel that starts with a raised eyebrow and ends with a gasp as there's two women convinced the other has taken something that was rightfully theirs.

An often scintillating, devilishly dark story, shot through with all of Lanchester's powers of observation, wit and snappy humour. And perhaps most admirably, I loved that it was a plot that refused cheap twists in favour of telling the most engaging version of events. You may be able to predict many of the incidents from Points A to B, but that does nothing to hamper the enjoyment of the reading experience.

That being said, I can't help but feel that this needed to be either 10,000 words shorter, or 10,000 words longer. Multiple sections feel overwritten, hammering home points that we fully absorbed paragraphs before. And yet the final events, and their impact on Kate and Phoebe, felt rushed and left me wanting more.

A super fun read, but in need of tinkering.

4.5

If you want the ultimate story of revenge then you have to read this.

Kate has been happily married to Jack for decades. Her life is all she could wish for but after tragedy strikes she is still recovering when a brand new series arrives on tv. It turns Kate's world on its head and she has to doubt everything she has believed about her life with Jack.

I cannot tell you what a joy it was to yell at this novel - mainly things like "you can't do that" and "that's terrible". The characters of Kate, Phoebe and Sarah are all completely believable even if the action strays into the somewhat fantastical at times.

I'm prepared to forgive it all because the end is so utterly diabolical and wonderful. I only knocked off half a point because I didn't quite buy the coincidences at times.

Absolutely brilliant. Loved every minute. Highly recommended.

Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the digital review copy. Most appreciated.

This is a great novel that I devoured in just a few days. It is so engaging and compelling that it's hard to stop reading, and the writing is brilliant.

The book begins with Kate, a middle aged, long-term married woman, getting ready to go out for dinner with friends along with her husband, Jack. Kate reflects on how marriages have their own 'secret' intimate languages, sayings and nicknames, an example being Jack calling to her: 'Want your body, disco doll,' which means - please get ready or we'll be late.

At the dinner, Kate and Jack appear to be a typical couple. She's only slightly irritated by an anecdote about cooking that he's telling for the umpteenth time but overall they seem to be pretty happy and content.

Unfortunately Jack dies unexpectedly just hours later, and Kate is left alone trying to deal with her grief. As if this wasn't enough to cope with, however, there is worse to come. A hit TV show, Cheating, is sweeping the nation and all of her friends are talking about it. But when Kate becomes aware of lines of dialogue from the show, she suddenly realises that the cheating husband is based on Jack - and that her marriage and the relationship she thought they'd had may have all been a lie.

The writing in the novel is really good as are the characters. Kate I found likeable - she's very insightful and intelligent in her interpretations of situations she finds herself in. In dealing with grief, she reflects on all of the ways that she'd never expected it to affect her, and is also very honest about the various annoyances she also experiences along the way - such as how her coupled-up friends have become unbearable or how her therapist actually seems quite rubbish,.

Jack, for the brief period we see him, is also a relatable and likeable character. I found it interesting how Kate describes him as having multiple sides to his personality, and that she's the only one who sees the true, introverted him. At the dinner party he'd at times seemed to verge on boorish. But later seeing him check in on a homeless man, we seemed to see the true Jack underneath his public persona.

Enter Phoebe - the creator of Cheating. She's great - and even more great is her narcissistic, nightmare mother. Phoebe's descriptions of what it's like living with a parent who is impossible to please, who will find ways to criticise her in any and all situations, are fascinating and hilarious.

The story of how Phoebe's life and that of Jack and Kate are linked gradually emerges, and I hadn't seen it coming (maybe other readers will). What starts to come across is two female characters who are prepared to do harm to others in order to get what they want - while being quite unapologetic about it and in other ways quite likeable people.

I like that the author has created characters who aren't simply good or bad, but are very clearly shaped by their circumstances and experiences. The plot is genuinely gripping, with lots of twists and plots that lead the reader into thinking one thing is true, only to find something different is actually going on.

I'd highly recommend this novel, and thanks very much to Netgalley for the advance access.

After Kate's husband dies, she discovers, through a viral Netflix TV show, that he had not been who she had believed him to be. We follow the contrasting millennial writer of the show and boomer Kate's life, their values, their outlook, as the mystery unravels. This book was difficult to put down. It was both propulsive and thought-provoking. I didn't want it to end and I cannot wait to sell it to my customers.

I really loved the way this story managed to bridge the gap between being a high-energy plot and a thoughtful character piece. The author has a fantastic ear for how people speak and interact, which makes the world of the book feel incredibly tangible and lived-in. I enjoyed the way the stakes were heightened naturally, leading to a conclusion that felt both dramatic and entirely earned. The prose is clean and effective, letting the strength of the narrative shine through. It is a very well-rounded and professional work that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.

Revenge is a dish best served cold....

John Lanchester has written some of the most fascinating novels over the last two decades; Look What You Made Me Do adds to this list of stories that intrigue and explore the human condition in various circumstances.

This new novel begins with a dinner party- very middle class London couples playing one-upmanship with their attitudes towards contemporary life and put-downs. Our lead protagonsists being Kate and Jack. This feels like the territory of Jonathan Coe. But then the story takes a sharp one eighty and what could have been a wry observational novel about 'elite ' lifestyles in London takes on a darker humoured path.

Kate discovers that the 'everyday 'dialogues and personal events of her life with her husband have formed the basis of a new and popular TV show- how can this be ? Is this the ultimate betrayal from her husband of several decades? So how should retribution be delivered to those concerned?

What follows is a deliciously twisted and certainly surprising story. The characters do seem like caricatures in some sense ( the world of media and publishing, book groups, restaurant dining are beautifully lampooned) but it is the ever growing wickedness in the plot that makes this an unforgettable tale.

John Lanchester has written another winner . Cleverly and tautly plotted and an outcome that you will want to talk about. The screen adaptation will have to be developed (like his novel Capital) A top read of 2026!

Clever and funny, this was a great story. Once it got going, I found myself unable to put it down. Phoebe and Kate’s characters were both deeply flawed and unlikeable, but in a way that kept me reading. I thought Jack’s death was the main plot point, but really it was just the tip of the iceberg!

I did predict one of the twists, but the rest towards the last half of the book took me by surprise. I really enjoyed reading about these two sophisticated and narcissistic women, it’s not often anti protagonist are written well, especially women written by men. The lack of accountability and empathy really compelled me, what an interesting set of characters!! I do wish we had more around certain supporting characters, such as Sarah and Tristan, but still a fantastic read.

Jack and Kate seemed to be the perfect couple although Jack could be arrogant he was also soft at heart and cared about strangers.
Phoebe and Tony are a younger couple with the usual problems although Phoebe’s mother is quite horrible!
Both Phoebe and Kate should have paid attention to Confucius. Seek to revenge dig 2 graves

The only character who’s completely nice is Tony

Kate sees Jack at a bar and decides he’s going to be hers and she sets out to achieve her aim destroying Sarah, Jack’s girlfriend, without any shame. No one seems to have a conscious.
It’s a good read and shows that you never really know people as everyone has a second face.

The author and LRB contributor’s sixth novel – all of which I have read – following on from: his 1996 Whitbread (Costa) First Novel and 1997 Hawthornden Prize winning debut “My Debt to Pleasure” “Mr Philipps”, 2002 James Tait Black Memorial Prize shortlisted “Fragrant Harbour”, his Dickensian tale of a South London street around the 2008 Financial Crisis “Capital” and then his allegorical and increasingly prescient 2019 Booker longlisted “The Wall”.

And I have to say that this is my favourite of his novels – at times exquisitely observed on the nuances and complexities (and it has to be said more judgmental/bitchy/side) of North London, middle-class life, of generational clashes (particularly Boomer-Millennial divides), of relationships (marriages, couples and mother-daughter) and infused with a strong understanding of viral-TV, cryptocurrency and the justice system all deployed delicately to flavour the narrative; all of which makes for an entertaining literary novel.

The set up is relatively simple – if unusual. Kate – who spends most of her time on charitable work particularly prison-visiting – is married to an architect Jack, rather overbearing in manner and mannerisms/opinions but things she has long accepted in what is a stable and she believes happy 30-year marriage bought crashing down at the end of the first chapter by Jack’s sudden death.

Phoebe meanwhile is a scriptwriter, some decades younger, who has had a sudden rise to success with the authorship of the year’s virally successful TV-show; Cheating, a frank, sexy and provocative show in which a thirty-ish woman has an affair with a married man some 20 years older.

When the grieving Kate (the novel plays repeatedly on Lear’s “Never, never, never, never, never” line) overhears others discussing Cheating and then sits down to watch it – she realises to her horror that it uses phrases, marital language, private incidents and even sexual proclivities from her own marriage and realises to her horror that the only explanation can be that Phoebe (who talks about some autobiographical inspiration for her show) must have had an affair with Jack.

Phoebe meanwhile has to deal with her demanding and domineering mother – still it seems bitter about past betrayals.

To say more would spoil a brilliantly realised and twisty plot which is best experienced in a short number of sittings in my view.

Recommended.

John Lanchester’s latest novel focuses on revenge. ‘Look What You Made Me Do’, as the title suggests, also explores how we tend to blame our own poor decisions on others. First and foremost, whilst this description sounds as if it’s going to be looking at terrible behaviour – and it does, the writing is also very funny and will appeal particularly to those who like their humour caustic.

Married to Jack, Kate leads a comfortable metropolitan life. The pair have been together since their Oxford student days, have chosen not to have children and are very happy. Unbeknown to Kate, Phoebe, younger by two decades, has been taking a good deal of interest in the older woman’s uneventful life. Why has it inspired Phoebe to write a hit TV show?

It’s not too difficult to work out the answer to that question, once we meet a few more characters. However, whilst the plot certainly beguiles the reader, it’s the characters who are particularly well-developed, both psychologically and emotionally, alongside a very clear picture of their domestic lives.

The BBC televised Lanchester’s ’Capital’ very successfully. This novel would lend itself equally well to the screen – there are cliffhangers and plot twists in abundance. All that said, it’s not quite a 5* read for me because I can’t quite reconcile Kate’s final unscrupulous decision with whom she seemed to be. Maybe Lanchester is implying that revenge damages all those involved.

My thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is told from the perspectives of Kate (in her 50s, suddenly widowed) and Phoebe (in her 20s, the writer of a hit Netflix show called 'Cheating'). Kate, emerging from the worst of her grieving, becomes aware that the characters in Phoebe's show seem to be based on her and her husband. I thought this was great, and it held my attention throughout. I particularly enjoyed Phoebe's voice as she describes her relationship with her narcissistic mother, and the sections set at university in Kate's earlier life brought back memories for me.

I do think though that the blurb gives far too much away about the plot (and is also a little misleading - is this really about who gets to tell your story?). I had largely forgotten the blurb when I read it, so things unfolded for me as the author no doubt intended. I can't give it 5 stars because the ending made me too sad.

This is a dark,rye look at modern day morality. Kate and Jack have been married for 30 years, and live in trendy North London.They are educated and very metropolitan. On night Jack dies suddenly and Kate has to pick up the pieces of her life. During her recovery she watches a popular new drama called "Cheaters" written by a young screenwriter called Phoebe and is shocked to hear dialogue that matches her life with Jack and also details about their personal intimacy. The story of Kate and also of Phoebe and her family amily is interwoven in the narrative. How does Phoebe know all this about Kate and Jack? This was an interesting book. You do have to pay attention in the first few chapters as they can seem disjointed byt it all comes together. Very interesting.