The List: A Novel

"The internet never forgets, until it does."

The List by Yomi Adehoke was a quick, propulsive read that kept me turning the pages non-stop. I binge this one in a day because I was obsessed with finding out the truth. I enjoyed Adegoke's writing style and I can see why this was picked up for TV. There are so many possibilities for some of the themes to be explored more deeply on screen. The author was bold in her choices and showcased a lot of serious themes in this one. The plot twist at the very end was jaw dropping.

I do wish Ola and Michael's fame was a little more fleshed out in the beginning so that the scandal felt a little more credible. However, I do commend Adegoke for taking risks and tackling toxic masculinity, patriarchy and show more misogyny, abuse of women, ways in which women aren't believed when they report abuse, the dangers and consequences of fame and the internet, the responsibility of reporters, the dangers of reporting rumors, Black men's mental health, feminism and the erasure of celebrities humanity. Reading this one makes me curious to see how the show will fill in the blanks and add depth to some of these topics because there was a lot to take in.

This is one you will definitely want to read with a friend because there is so much to talk to about. When I finished it, I immediately discussed it with my husband because it opens the door for so much conversation. If thrillers with social commentary are your jam, give this one a try. You will be entertained the whole way through. Thanks to @williammorrowbooks and to @cocoachapters for the gifted copy and tour opportunity. show less

This highly anticipated novel about sexual harassment and cancel culture, is set in London, where Ola and Michael are the social media "It Couple" of Black Britain, set to be married in just a month's time. She is a journalist working for a feminist website, Michael is just starting a job at another website, boosted by his popular podcast, when an anonymous list of unsafe men, accused of everything from sexual harassment to rape, is released on-line and both of them are shocked to see Michael's name on this list. Ola, asked to write about the list, delays as she struggles with whether she believes the anonymous accusation, while Michael is hurt by her doubts, even as he suspects he knows who added his name to this list. As the wedding show more grows ever closer, it seems too late to call it off, but both are unsure of how to handle the situation they find themselves in.

The premise of this novel is a timely one, and that the protagonists are Black and British gives a different angle to the issue. A novel is a good way to wrestle with the various complex issues touched on in this book, like how we assess accusations differently when we know the person accused, how people on social media often behave differently than they do (or at least we hope they do) in real life, how the ability to remain anonymous both protects the vulnerable but leaves room for misuse and false accusations, or how women and men are affected differently by being accused or of knowing a person accused of sexual harassment. There's potential here.

It is, however, an unfulfilled potential, because of the writing, how the characters are written, and because of how the question of Michael's culpability resolves itself. This is a novel where jaws drop, chills run up spines and people feel like collapsing to the floor with shock, and who do actually collapse with shock. This is not a book interested in subtlety; the two protagonists have outsized reactions to every event they experience, while the supporting characters remain steadfastly true to the broad stereotypes to which they've been assigned. Each setback they face causes both of them to react in the same way; by taking to their beds and refusing to take action or talk to the person they most need to talk to, which in this case is each other. The climactic moment of this novel is one that would have been avoided if a single character had a teaspoon of common sense and the conclusion of the novel is one that made me sorry to have spent the time reading it. There were some moments of insight, but they were too few to make this novel worthwhile. show less

WOW!! Such an interesting read! I thought, at one point, that the author was walking a very fine line between victim blaming and exonerating sexualised behaviour- however the more I read, the further this fell. This book opened my eyes to multiple sides of the "me too" movement and subsequent lists since.

*****Spoilers*****

I'm glad this wasn't a HEA, and everything went back to normal ending. This seemed more realistic, it showed the true extent of these lists, including parliamentary recourse, petitions and the lives that can be ruined in the process. The twist at the very end had my mouth agog!! OMG! Such a great ending to a book!!

Best for:
Those interested in stories that explore questions of media ethics, morality, how to determine who to believe.

In a nutshell:
Ola (a journalist partly known for here work on #MeToo-esque stories) and Michael (a media presenter) are two people living in London. They are set to get married in a month, with friends and family coming into town. They are Instagram famous, and held up as an example of #BlackLove. Then The List is posted to Twitter, which accuses 40 men of various crimes, from harassment to rape. Michael is on the list.

Worth quoting:
“She refused for love to be something that she endured.”

Why I chose it:
I was at the airport and it looked interesting.

Review:
I usually don’t check reviews before writing my own, but show more when I looked on Goodreads I see that this book is quite divisive. Some folks love it, and many really, really hate it. And I get that. I am ambivalent, as I did enjoy reading it and think author Adegoke explored some interesting questions, but I think it could have been a stronger story with perhaps a slightly less twisty ending.

The concept of the book is solid in my opinion: what happens to the people accused by anonymous complaints, and what happens to their families? Obviously the focus should be on the victims of crime, but they aren’t the only people impacted. What happens to the people who love the people who may have abused others? And if someone is accused anonymously but publicly, what should happen? What makes sense?

Ola works for a website and is tasked by her boss with investigating the List, as the boss doesn’t know Michael is on the list, accused of harassment and abuse. Michael has started a new job that day, but soon ends up on leave.

The book gives us point of view chapters from both Ola and Michael. We quickly learn that Michael is not a good partner, but to what extent that aligns with the allegations against him remains a mystery for a good while. Ola is focused on trying to figure out if she should believe her fiancé, and if she chooses to, what that means for the career she’s built, calling out accused abusers and demanding their accusers be believed.

As the book goes on, we learn some more about others on the list, and it is clear that some of the allegations are definitely true, or at least based in some confirmed actions. And some may not be - and it has an impact on the accused. Now, does that mean there’s no value in bringing forward allegations? Of course not. Truth is important, and just because something maybe can’t be brought to a court doesn’t, to me, mean it shouldn’t be shared or believed. But there is an impact on so many people, and it’s not just about whose fault that is.

What’s next for this book:
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The List has a unique premise that drew me in – what happens when someone is listed online as being an abuser? How do they navigate the online world and demand justice in a place that is so quick to cancel? What happens if they are the one you love?

The List focuses on this question quickly as Ola, a feminist writer, is confronted by appearance online of ‘the list’ which lists men who have abused women, famous or otherwise. Her fiancé Michael appears with mention of restraining orders and harassment at work Christmas parties. It’s not something he’s guilty of – but he is guilty of other things that likely led to his place on the list. (This is all revealed very quickly so it’s not really a spoiler).

The list throws Ola and show more Michael’s relationship into a spin. Ola would normally be in the thick of this, but now she and Michael are being targeted by online groups out to ruin their lives. Told from both her and Michael’s perspectives, the novel looks at the fallout from public shaming and how they can put their lives back together.

For me, the first half was very slow as the list is revealed quickly, and Michael’s own guilt comes soon after. It’s difficult to support a character who is guilty of lying and cheating, even when his world is falling down around him. I felt sorry for him, but I wasn’t particularly interested in his redemption. The second half of the novel is much stronger, as things happen more than Ola and Michael circling awkwardly around each other. The list gains traction and Ola and Michael have to confront what their relationship is, as well as their careers. The emotion is much more intense and I was more invested in what would happen next. But the ending? It all seemed a bit too neatly tied up and absolved nearly everyone. (Also, I didn’t feel like that the internet is capable of getting behind one thing – too fractionated, but maybe that’s just 2024 talking). There are also a lot of issues covered, perhaps too many, which lost the importance of some of them in my opinion. It felt a bit like a checkbox to cover over a few pages.

While the plot was uneven for me, I think Adegoke is a good writer. She’s great at building the characters’ world and setting the scene. The characters weren’t particularly likeable but perhaps it’s meant to be that way to focus on the issues.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

This book explores what might happen if your partner appears on a list of men in the media who are predatory, abusive or rapists. The list is anonymous. Released onto twitter - or X - and up there for 24 hours, these things gain traction and spread virally. Ola sees the list, finds her soon-to-be husband on it and then, as a writer for a feminist magazine, is asked to write an article about the list.

The main part of the plot is the fall out, friendships withering, relationships breaking down, suicide, more stories, loss of trust but what it does do is drive Ola and Michael to be honest with each other and eventually with their relationship. It was a marriage that was never going to last, this just hastened the process. What we also show more explore is Black celebrity couples, Insta-fame and how if we live on and for social media we are probably likely to die by it too.

For me, this is one of those books where the plot is the strength and so I can see why it is being made into a TV programme. At times, I lost control of all the characters and sometimes I just didn't care enough about them. I don't have a lot of time for social influencers, the peddlars of perfect lives when we all know that it isn't how real life is but this might be because I have managed to live most of my life without them. show less

This is a topical novel, exploring the ramifications of rumour, social media and cancel culture.

Ola and Michael seem like the perfect iconic black power couple – due to get married in a month, Ola is a successful feminist journalist and icon, while Michael is due to start his new job working in social media. But then a list appears on Twitter. The list names men in high profile jobs who have abused people in one form or another, and who have got away with it. The list seeks to expose those responsible for the abuse and, if they can’t be punished through the legal channels, then they will be punished by being ‘cancelled’, maybe losing their jobs and/or families and friends on the way.

Michael insists that the accusations leveled show more against him are untrue, but Ola doesn’t know who to believe. For a woman who has always been outspoken against men who take advantage of their platform, and who works for a feminist magazine, this is a personal and professional disaster, which makes them both look closely at their relationship and their own actions.

I was looking forward to reading this book, as it certainly covers current issues, and looks at whether we should pay attention to anonymous accusations, and how such accusations can affect the lives of both the accused and the alleged victims. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would, because it was less a commentary or insightful look at those topics and more a narrative about Ola and Michael’s personal lives. I did not particularly like either character, and regardless of what Michael did or didn’t do and how or why he ended up on the list it was hard to garner sympathy for either of them.

One thing it did highlight – although in this day and age, this is hardly news to anyone – is that when people live their lives on and through social media, it can all come crashing down spectacularly.

The list was posted anonymously and with nobody prepared to publicly speak out against any of the people on it, it does make people question whether they are guilty (and certainly some are, and have got away with heinous crimes) or whether someone has put them on there out of spite or anger. To those who want to believe it, it barely matters either way. I would have liked to have seen more on this rather than the introspective take that we got.

Overall, I would say the subject matter was ripe for a novel, and the premise was terrific, but the story itself did not hold my interest as I would have hoped. show less