Prophet Song, by Paul Lynch, narrates the breakdown of society under the rise of fascism from the point of view of a family resisting it. Set in a version of Ireland, the tale is told through the eyes of Eilish, a mother trying to save her husband and children and some sort of domestic normality as the unraveling and oppression accelerates all around them. The prose is first person, very immediate (even thoughts are portrayed like fleeting sense impressions) and intimate. Those of us in America might look at it as a preview of what life could become if Donald Trump exercises control over the Department of Justice and, unlike characters in Prophet Song, there’s no place for us to escape. Lengthy, run-on, stream-of consciousness prose may wear out some readers. This book won the 2023 Booker Prize. Reviews mostly are over-the-top raves. Here’s more restrained applause from NPR:
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1218053727/book-review-paul-lynch-booker-prize-winning-prophet-song
