No One is Talking About This (review)

Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! It has been quite a while since I have posted a book review, and it seems like the month has slipped through my finger; how is it July already?

Today's book is No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. In a sort of a last minute decision, I have decided that I wanted to lok at the Women's Prize for Fiction of 2021, and this book is part of it. I was very intrigued by this novel. First of all, the cover is very pretty, and as someone who loves clouds and pastels, I was instantly attracted by it. The plot also made me want to pick up this book.

No One is Talking About This follows a young woman's experience on the internet and social media - or the portal as she calls it - as an influencer of some sort. For the entire first part, we get glimpses of what happens on this 'portal'. Then, in a second part, this same young woman detaches herself from the safety that social media represents for herself when her sister gives birth to her daughter.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. The them of the story is very deftly dealt with, without condemning nor praising social media, like a lot of books and stories seem to do. However, it was not the easiest read, nor the most interesting in my opinion.

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Navigating the genre

No One Is Talking About This is hard to categorize in one genre. It is made up of many paragraphs that describe the protagonist's experiences, online at first, then in her family life. In a kind of stream of consciousness, each paragraph seem unrelated to the other. This makes it very hard to get into the story, and even to empathize with what this young woman goes through in the second part.

As you read along, it almost feels like reading a social media feed, with discontinued ideas, and almost-absurd events.

As a 20 something year-old, I grew up with the internet, so there are a lot of references that I was able to understand as I read, but I stil missed many of them. I think that you need to have a good idea of the internet culture to fully dive into this book and get all of its nuances. As such, I think that the genre and narrative style make this a bit unaccessible compared to other books on the same subject.

This is a very experimental piece, and while it is quick to read by itself, you will likely need your phone next to you to look up the neverending references.

However, you will still find some incredibly powerful ideas and reflections on social media and the way it is used today, even sometimes its absurdity. The second part, while a bit weaker than the first as the narrative style did not fit the story, and the discontinuity just made it harder to understand what the narrator was going through. I would I loved to be able to feel with her as she navigates these difficult times in her life.

Is Social Media a Shield?

I think that one of the main ideas of this book is the idea that many people shield themselves from reality through social media. After all, isn't it easier to find the next viral video, tweet a funny joke, or argue with someone online, than to deal with personal issue and confront the world outside. Throughout the book, the narrator seems to be hiding behind her newly found fame and the social medias she uses.

The second part depicts her as having to put down her phone, and face the reality of her sister's situation. In a way, she is learning to let go of this shield that it protecting her, and allowing her to fully enjoy, and maybe also be hurt by, reality.

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I really admire what this book sets to do, and in some ways, I think that it does a wonderful job at exploring the place social media holds in the 21st century. However, as I have said, it is not as accessible as I would have liked (or as accessible as social media would be for example).

If you have read this, I would love to hear your thoughts. And if you are curious and want to read it yourself, I encourage you to do so.

As I have said earlier, I am planning on reading the shortlisted books for the Women's Prize for Fiction, so you might see some of those reviewed on my blog in the next few months.

Until then, you can find me, as always, on Instagram if you want to have a chat.