PopCo

This was yet another glorious book from Scarlett Thomas, who seems to have an inexhaustible supply of the most engaging and empathetic female protagonists. Megan Carpenter and Ariel Manto, the first person narrators of Our Tragic Universe (one of my all-time favourite novels) and The End of Mister Y respectively are two of the most memorable fictional characters I have encountered, and Alice Butler, protagonist of Popco,is of similar mettle.

The storyline of Popco moves between the present and the narrator's youth, and gives Thomas free rein to consider a number of mathematical paradoxes while also giving a pellucid insight into cryptography and cryptanalysis. I realise, of course, how frightening that might sound to people who don’t show more share my nerdish fascination with such matters. However, despite these potentially alarming-sounding digressions, she never allows the pace of the plot to flag, and the mathematical apostrophes are always entertaining and relevant. She also explores issues of rampant globalisation and the growth of immense worldwide corporation masquerading as benevolent institutions, again without ever proselytising or compromising the integrity of the plot, or losing the reader’s attention.

Scarlett Thomas seems to have carved out a genre all of her own in which she seems effortlessly to merge humour, science philosophy and mystery. And, as with all of the Canongate Press editions of her works, this book was beautifully packaged, too. show less

I bought this one because it was recommended by the Atlantic, which included it on a list of "Books that Feel Like Puzzles". They're not wrong about that, and while I enjoyed reading "Popco", I'm not sure it met all of my expectations. The book certainly has its strengths. It took me just a few pages to realize that Alice, the novel's narrator and main character, was a unique and believable individual, an odd fit in a creative industry that's full of careerists posing as eccentrics. I enjoyed the book's feel, too: the author describes a setting that is comfortable and beautiful but suffused with menace and mystery. "Popco" is full of interesting stuff, from tidbits about cryptography and math to stories about buried treasure and show more personal tragedy. To her credit, the author explains most of these subjects in a way that non-STEM majors will find easy to grasp. Well, I did get a bit lost when Alice discussed Kurt Gödel's theories, but that might have been inevitable. Lastly, for a book that discusses math and puzzles and length and has more than a few genre-fiction tendencies, this one has a lot to say about growing up as an outsider, about loss, and about the struggle to find your true place in the world. Improbable as it seems, for a book that has a lot to say about cryptography, "Popco" has a surprising amount to say about the affairs of the heart. I'm glad that the author even attempted to combine these elements, and I was pleasantly surprised that she pulled it off as well as she did.

I didn't necessarily have a problem with this novel's politics, which, to be honest, are somewhat close to my own. And Thomas makes good points about the consumerism, competition, and media manipulation that seem endemic to today's modern world throughout. The book's big reveal, however, and the political logic behind it, was rather too much for me to take. I'm only willing to suspend my disbelief for so long, and, after finishing this one, I got the impression that the the author included the solution -- if we can call it that -- described in book's final chapters for lack of any better, more practical options. Also, as much as I enjoyed reading this one -- Popco Towers is a fun, comfortable place to hang out, from a reader's perspective -- I felt that the plot was a bit slack for a book that revolves around puzzles. Mind you, I enjoyed spending time with Alice and the other Popco employees, and I'd recommend this one to any anglophile out there, but there were times I wished it was a more streamlined affair. For all that, this is still a good read, and I have a feeling that readers with interests different than mine might enjoy it more than I did. show less

This was yet another glorious book from Scarlett Thomas, who seems to have an inexhaustible supply of the most engaging and empathetic female protagonists. Megan Carpenter and Ariel Manto, the first person narrators of [Our Tragic Universe] (one of my all-time favourite novels) and [The End of Mister Y] respectively are two of the most memorable fictional characters I have encountered, and Alice Butler, protagonist of Popco,is of similar mettle.

The storyline of [Popco] moves between the present and the narrator's youth, and gives Thomas free rein to consider a number of mathematical paradoxes while also giving a pellucid insight into cryptography and cryptanalysis. I realise, of course, how frightening that might sound to people who show more don’t share my nerdish fascination with such matters. However, despite these potentially alarming-sounding digressions, she never allows the pace of the plot to flag, and the mathematical apostrophes are always entertaining and relevant. She also explores issues of rampant globalisation and the growth of immense worldwide corporation masquerading as benevolent institutions, again without ever proselytising or compromising the integrity of the plot, or losing the reader’s attention.

Scarlett Thomas seems to have carved out a genre all of her own in which she seems effortlessly to merge humour, science philosophy and mystery. And, as with all of the Canongate Press editions of her works, this book was beautifully packaged, too. show less

I loved The End of Mr Y, so as many other people I jumped at the opportunity to read more by Scarlett Thomas. The book had plenty of interesting bits and characters, but unfortunately the plot got lost and towards the later parts of the novel we got a ham-fisted attack against mainstream medicine and a propaganda section for homoeopathy. I did not mind the anti-scientific slant in "Mr Y", and the homeopathy was an integral part of the plot. Here we get a caricature of a pill-prescribing doctor to contrast the wholesome herbalist vegan and the brave homoeopathy new-age post-modern girl. Truly disappointing.

If you liked Mr. Y, avoid this, go and buy some homoeopathic remedies and overdose on them (hint: they will do nothing to you).

PopCo by Scarlett Thomas is one of those books that is a revelation. Every now and then, I come across a book wherein I know the author’s ideas and beliefs line up so well with mine that it is very nearly eerie. PopCo encapsulated so many of my own thoughts that I likely annoyed everyone around me as I recommended this book to one and all, even going so far as to purchase several copies at a book clearance store so I could give copies away.

PopCo is hard to categorize. While the heroine, a certain Alice Butler, solves two mysteries, she also contemplates veganism and the ethics of marketing to children. She discusses her knowledge of homeopathic medicine, crossword puzzles, high level math, cryptography and cryptanalysis, and the show more Voynich Manuscript. Her attempts at developing her own identity ring truer to me than any other coming-of-age descriptions in recent memory. And far from finding her childhood with her grandparents boring, I wondered what I would be like had I been raised by genius, eccentric grandparents, and found the prospect attractive. Alice has within her head the Vigenère square, Gödel’s code and prime factorization in the same manner as I have the world’s best chocolate chip cookie recipe memorized. Alice is self-contained, cool under pressure, utterly geeky and wholly earnest – in short, a heroine unlike anyone I have ever read before. Read my entire discussion here: http://ireadoddbooks.com/popco1-by-scarlett-thomas/ show less

PopCo is a little like Apple - An enigmatic and messianic CEO, Senior Executives with eccentricities bordering on whimsy all veiling a maniacal obsession with market domination. Alice Butler finds herself in the creative department of a PopCo division via a job setting crosswords for a provincial weekly. When you’ve been raised by your grandparents, one a pure mathematician, the other a cryptanalyst it’s probably inevitable that your breakthrough product is a spy kit. With that kind of pedigree and a day-job in junior code-breaking she’s a walking illustration of geek-chic.

The invite to the annual PopCo conference may come from left-of-field but we find there was some fuzzy-logic to this decision. With references to planned show more obsolescence, viral marketing, negative-brands and ideation this is a novel with ambition, but not over-burdened by it. The childhood reminiscences, a vehicle for the introduction of the Maths and cryptanalysis, are a perfectly pitched relief. PopCo’s “Thought Camp” has its eye on the holy grail of marketing – the killer product for teenage girls. Alice eventually unearths a more literal treasure - Her grandfather placed the key to the location of a 17th century pirate’s booty in her locket and when she finds it it makes PopCo's "market-cap" look tiny.

A book dealing with corporate cyncism could be as soul-less as it's subject matter. Fortunately PopCo's flashbacks to childhood add emotional depth. Alice’s grandparents may have effectively bequeathed a multi-billion pound fortune but there’s more than a suggestion that the real treasure is the memory of the time spent with them. show less

A truly wonderful book, and one I will definitely re-read. Alice, the main character, has inherited a love of crosswords and cryptography from her grandparents. Her grandmother was part of the team at Bletchley Park, and knew Turing. Alice has also been left a necklace with a code in it, which leads to treasure - but the existence of this knowledge has caused unhappiness for her family.

Alice works for a toy company, creating spy and code kits for children. She is invited to a company outing, at which she and her colleagues learn new techniques to create products. But whilst she is there, she meets several people who make her question a lot of things about modern society.

I loved the cryptography in this book - it made me want to re-read show more Simon Singh's Code Book. Alice was a great character, as were her grandparents. However, at the end, you do feel slightly as though the author has got on her soapbox about her favourite subjects, rather than it coming through the characters. I suppose I felt a little cheated that the promised big treasure hunt didn't really materialise - but this only detracts from the story a little.

I have to say, though - I hate the cover, and I never would have picked the book up because of it, if I hadn't read & loved another book by Thomas. show less