The Subtweet

The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I enjoyed this book which came as a surprise since I thought I'd hate it. I read this in e-format on Overdrive and it was one of the TPL librarians' recommendations. In the past, what they've recommended and my taste in books are mutually exclusive, and, yes, I can see why they recommended it; however, the author was not heavy handed with her ideology. I don't mind authors including their beliefs and opinions in their works. Heaven knows I do it myself. What I resent is when an author confuses writing with sermonizing. This one didn't.

If you're looking for a book with fast pacing and a complex plot, this one isn't for you. It's about relationships and the subtle nuances which can occur between two people sometimes leading to misunderstandings. Such things can be magnified when people communicate via texts or social media.

The book wasn't quite what I was hoping for. I was initially hooked by the title and then the blurb suggested a social media backlash was involved. I wanted to figure out the technical details for including that sort of thing in a book. Yes there was a backlash but it was muted, not the sort of dogpiling I was looking for; nevertheless, I learned a few things. Indenting tweets seems to work as does changing fonts when writing texts. On the other hand, I'm still not sure how one might write a flame war and make it readable. On the other hand, if you're not a writer, this part is irrelevant.

The weakest part of the book was the ending. It seemed as if Vivek Shraya just gave up as some point and stopped writing. Still, some, (many?) readers like ambiguity in endings so this will appeal to them, just not me.

The book was well written and very well edited. I wouldn't describe it as a page-turner but if you like relationships and aren't looking for a complex plot I think you might enjoy it.



View all my reviews