Yomi Adegoke

The List

I keep saying this but where a lot of trendy novels fail is the lack of commitment. This one wants to make a commentary on online trolling and dogpiling but also on rape culture, except it shies away from making its protagonist horrible people or from truly interrogating the existential crisis of realising you associate with bad people and that your friends can be bad people or say morally ambiguous things and what that says about you. I mean, it does not even fully commit to the moral dilemma of being a feminist journalist finding out your fiance is a potential abuser (and the plotting strips the narrative off the pressure to truly delve into it).

Very readable, though. I just wish it sounded a little less like it was dunking on online a trolls and a little more like the complex novel that can be seen through the cracks.

I keep saying this but where a lot of trendy novels fail is the lack of commitment. This one wants to make a commentary on online trolling and dogpiling but also on rape culture, except it shies away from making its protagonist horrible people or from truly interrogating the existential crisis of realising you associate with bad people and that your friends can be bad people or say morally ambiguous things and what that says about you. I mean, it does not even fully commit to the moral dilemma of being a feminist journalist finding out your fiance is a potential abuser (and the plotting strips the narrative off the pressure to truly delve into it).

Very readable, though. I just wish it sounded a little less like it was dunking on online a trolls and a little more like the complex novel that can be seen through the cracks.

This feels like it's carried somewhat by the fact it's very topical and perhaps written with a TV adaptation in mind. The story unfolds in a fairly straightforward way, and some of the exploration of the issues feels overly didactic. The weakest thing is the prose in general that never really shines, and sometimes relies on cliches, but the variety of voices and dialogue kept me reading. I wish there was a bit more commitment to depicting  communication via social media and group chats, and the ending switch of perspective could have been even longer!

Luke Pearce

I have seen this book around a lot in the bookish community, so I decided that It was finally time for me to check this out myself; Firstly I love the cover, Such a simplistic design but it works really well at gapping your attention and pulling you in and I was not disappointed at all, An enjoyable book which had me wanting to know more and understand more about The List itself.

We meet Ola Olajide, an upcoming journalist at a feminist magazine in London. She will be marring the love of her life, Michael, in less than a month. Ola and Michael met, started dating- like all couples they went through some very rough patches but they both stuck to it and are currently seeing their efforts paying off. However, Ola discovers her fiancé on The List: a Google doc posted to Twitter that lists creative industry harassers, users, abusers and rapists; Throwing their weeding in to jeopardy

Personally, I could not understand why the weeding decided to go ahead. Without the saga of The List, I also did not feel the love between Ola and Michael that warranted their getting married either, this only got worse as the book went on. I don’t think the relationship was portrayed as a particularly empowering one at any point in the plot, and I honestly found Michael to be a bit annoying.

I didn’t know how to feel when I finished this book! The author’s note said that she wanted this to be thought-provoking and it makes you think and its defiantly done that!

Ian Brakspear

I have seen this book around a lot in the bookish community, so I decided that It was finally time for me to check this out myself; Firstly I love the cover, Such a simplistic design but it works really well at gapping your attention and pulling you in and I was not disappointed at all, An enjoyable book which had me wanting to know more and understand more about The List itself.

 

We meet Ola Olajide, an upcoming journalist at a feminist magazine in London. She will be marring the love of her life, Michael, in less than a month. Ola and Michael met, started dating- like all couples they went through some very rough patches but they both stuck to it and are currently seeing their efforts paying off. However, Ola discovers her fiancé on The List: a Google doc posted to Twitter that lists creative industry harassers, users, abusers and rapists; Throwing their weeding in to jeopardy

 

Personally, I could not understand why the weeding decided to go ahead. Without the saga of The List, I also did not feel the love between Ola and Michael that warranted their getting married either, this only got worse as the book went on. I don’t think the relationship was portrayed as a particularly empowering one at any point in the plot, and I honestly found Michael to be a bit annoying.

 

I didn’t know how to feel when I finished this book! The author’s note said that she wanted this to be thought-provoking and it makes you think and its defiantly done that!

This book was thought provoking and infuriating. The nuances of the character and the relatability was beyond me. There were times where I would be shocked at revelations and audibly vexed at the main characters. I felt pain for the character of Lewis because we are exposed to the difficult life of suppressed sexuality, as well as the cost of true abuse and false accusations. A clever piece of writing. 

The character Michael and Ola represent the essence of flawed humans and the complicating feeling of love.

This book was thought provoking and infuriating. The nuances of the character and the relatability was beyond me. There were times where I would be shocked at revelations and audibly vexed at the main characters. I felt pain for the character of Lewis because we are exposed to the difficult life of suppressed sexuality, as well as the cost of true abuse and false accusations. A clever piece of writing. 

The character Michael and Ola represent the essence of flawed humans and the complicating feeling of love.

The List by Yomi Adegoke addresses the discussions on abuse by asking what you would do if your partner was one of the accused. Ola Olajide has to ask herself this question, when a month before her wedding, The List of men, within the media professions, that have been accused of various degrees of abuse, is published on Twitter for 24 hours, and her fiancé, Michael, is named on there.

The author does a great job at highlighting the paradoxical nature of social media: it can make you, but it can just as quickly break you. I also enjoyed how she managed to show how toxic the media can be through the vicious consequences public allegations can make. The back and forth POV between Michael and Ola drew out how these allegations don't just affect those accused, but everyone they come into contact with.

The twists and reveals, as well as the cliff hanger endings to most of the chapters, really kept the suspense going and constantly had you asking if you would believe Michael was guilty or not. The final reveal at the end really floored me and increased the incensed rage the build-up within the novel provides.

However, there were some elements that felt too repetitive towards the beginning. The constant back and forth within Ola's mind as she tries to determine whether to believe Michael's innocence or not really started to get boring in places. There were also some elements that left me with a too sour taste in my mouth.

The List is, however, a gripping read, focusing on one of the most insidious elements of social media platforms and how dangerous its consequences can be to those involved.

Thank you to Netgalley and 4th Estate books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Victoria Justice

The List by Yomi Adegoke addresses the discussions on abuse by asking what you would do if your partner was one of the accused. Ola Olajide has to ask herself this question, when a month before her wedding, The List of men, within the media professions, that have been accused of various degrees of abuse, is published on Twitter for 24 hours, and her fiancé, Michael, is named on there.

The author does a great job at highlighting the paradoxical nature of social media: it can make you, but it can just as quickly break you. I also enjoyed how she managed to show how toxic the media can be through the vicious consequences public allegations can make. The back and forth POV between Michael and Ola drew out how these allegations don't just affect those accused, but everyone they come into contact with.

The twists and reveals, as well as the cliff hanger endings to most of the chapters, really kept the suspense going and constantly had you asking if you would believe Michael was guilty or not. The final reveal at the end really floored me and increased the incensed rage the build-up within the novel provides.

However, there were some elements that felt too repetitive towards the beginning. The constant back and forth within Ola's mind as she tries to determine whether to believe Michael's innocence or not really started to get boring in places. There were also some elements that left me with a too sour taste in my mouth.

The List is, however, a gripping read, focusing on one of the most insidious elements of social media platforms and how dangerous its consequences can be to those involved.

Thank you to Netgalley and 4th Estate books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

The List

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