Bright Young Things

Erm, ok – if you are dead set on reading this, you may want to know this:

First off, feel free to skip the Preface. It’s not just spoiling some of the story, it’s also very tedious. So, save your strength for the long, long, long and very tedious dialogues that are to follow in the never-ending Truth or Dare game.

Secondly, it might not be all wise to read this whilst sober or otherwise in a clear state of mind, especially not if you are a practical person. You know, one of those who is always thinking things through, looks for solutions and is capable of some foresight. This book may test your patience. Otherwise, why would you go along with the notion that the first thing to do when you find yourself kidnapped with five strangers show more on an island is to drink some wine, smoke some dope, and play games?

And despite these obvious flaws, I found – to my own annoyance – that I had to finish it simply because I like a good mystery and after two thirds of the book I still couldn't figure what the book was about and if there was a story here to be told.

Having finished the story, I am reminded of a comment my mother made when I urged her to read a book that I was intensely keen on but which she couldn't stand: “I must have missed that one important sentence.” Bright Young Things is a bit like this – there is one line which explained the story to me, and which made me think there is a point to the book – even though the message is somewhat bleak, and yes, tedious:

'We’re only in our twenties, but we've already overdosed on the world.’ show less

I honestly think the plot twist could've been left out. I really do. I mean, this is me with the full context of it being 2013 and reading the author's note and thinking the editors/publisher were a bit too old-school in insisting there be "more plot" - and the book is fine with the twist, although it (as I said) veers sharply towards psychological horror in a way that doesn't quite jive with the relaxing tone of the rest of the novel.
But the most incredible thing here is Ms. Thomas' prescience.
You could say, of course, that twentysomethings have been "like this" for as long as the modern world has existed (every time you try to move those goalposts back, you realize that you could go even further - World War II? But what about the show more Wildean aristos? And then what about the Enlightenment salons? and so on) - but it's fascinating to see a fully realized situation that needs only the cameras to be exactly what become massively-popular entertainment shortly after this novel's creation. It's a page-turner but only because it sounds like any conversation you might have at your friend's house or at a bar. And I think, despite the lower-brow intellectual engagement (compared to the Troposphere and the riddles of PopCo), it might be my favorite thing Ms. Thomas has written.

More TK at RB: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-Nf show less

i bought this book yesterday and i've been reading it non-stop till this very moment. the end was kinda unexpected. i mean, i read the last line and when i turned the page and it was completely blank i thought "is this it? are you kidding me?". but i've thought about it and i think i know why the author chose to end it there. "bright young things" has everything you can possibly want in a novel. it has introspections, well structured characters, drama, horror, love and sex. i loved it because it's intelligent, well written and, you know, i like weird and unexpected and this book is both.

Having just finished (and been very impressed with) `The End of Mr Y' I thought I'd try out Scarlett Thomas' other books. This is my second one now and will not be my last. Although this won't be a favourite of mine the plot was an excellent concept - six people who go for an interview and wake up on a deserted island. What will they do? How will they cope? This is the premise for the whole novel. Are the characters likeable? For me the answer was not really. Anne was interesting but I found the others to be very unlikeable. They are a product of their time, which is possibly what Scarlett Thomas was trying to achieve, seeing as she comes from a cultural studies background.

I found the novel a mixture of peaks and troughs, but without show more fail every time I felt it was becoming stilted something else would catch my attention. If, like me, you don't warm to the characters persevere as the plot itself is enough to keep you motivated. One criticism is the proofreading; there were a lot of errors that if you spot them will irritate you. So what would you do on a deserted island if your life sucks? Would you stay or try to escape? Would you explore the house or enjoy the full fridge and lovely bedrooms first? Whatever the novel is trying to achieve it will certainly make you question your own motives for different things.

I'm pleased I've read the novel and even though I'm uncertain as to its sustainability, it was a worthwhile read. The ending seems to be the most popular choice for discussion and is something I can't make my mind up about. I did feel a bit cheated but won't go into it in a review as it will definitely spoil the book. What I will say for the ending is that it will leave you questioning your life and the rules you've established for it. It's different and unusual rather than a case of Scarlett Thomas not knowing how to tie everything together. Sometimes it's good to be left to your own devices and at other times .... well you'll have to read it to find out. show less

L'idea del romanzo è buona, ma trovo che non sia sviluppata in maniera adeguata. Sarebbe potuto essere un romanzone e invece non convince, ed è un peccato. Lo colloco idealmente sullo scaffale delle occasioni perdute. Peccato davvero.

I was hugely disappointed in this book. I can't believe the jacket blurb compared Scarlett Thomas with Murakami and Coupland. She is completely inferior to both of them. On the basis of this offering her work is completely boring, dull and pedestrian. Since nothing much really happens in this book it really would require wonderful use of language and brilliant character development to hold its own. It has neither. The characters all seemed to be stereotypes and utterly forgettable. Until the very end I kept mixing up Paul and Jamie because their characters were so poorly developed. I'm glad I only spent a nominal amount on this book at the Amazon Kindle store. I will not be trying any further works by Scarlett Thomas.

It was an intriguing book but not really quite what i expected from it and it certainly left heaps of unanswered questions. But then, perhaps that was the point.