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Twist
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER � An “urgent [and] ingenious� (The New York Times Book Review) novel of rupture and repair in the digital age, delving into a hidden world deep under the ocean—from the New York Times bestselling author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin
“The spirit of Joseph Conrad hovers over the text, but here the heart of darkness lies at the bottom of the ocean.”—Salman Rushdie
“Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.�
Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence—words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses—travels through the tiny fiber-optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break, at an unfathomable depth.
Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets a fellow Irishman, John Conway, the chief of mission on a cable repair ship. The mysterious Conway is a skilled engineer and a freediver capable of reaching extraordinary depths. He is also in love with a South African actress, Zanele, who must leave to go on her own literary adventure to London.
When the ship is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel. At sea, they are forced to confront the most elemental questions of life, love, absence, belonging, and the perils of our severed connections. Can we, in our fractured world, reweave ourselves out of the thin, broken threads of our pasts? Can the ruptured things awaken us from our despair?
Resoundingly simple and turbulent at the same time, Twist is a meditation on the nature of narrative and truth from one of the great storytellers of our times.
“The spirit of Joseph Conrad hovers over the text, but here the heart of darkness lies at the bottom of the ocean.”—Salman Rushdie
“Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.�
Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence—words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses—travels through the tiny fiber-optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break, at an unfathomable depth.
Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets a fellow Irishman, John Conway, the chief of mission on a cable repair ship. The mysterious Conway is a skilled engineer and a freediver capable of reaching extraordinary depths. He is also in love with a South African actress, Zanele, who must leave to go on her own literary adventure to London.
When the ship is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel. At sea, they are forced to confront the most elemental questions of life, love, absence, belonging, and the perils of our severed connections. Can we, in our fractured world, reweave ourselves out of the thin, broken threads of our pasts? Can the ruptured things awaken us from our despair?
Resoundingly simple and turbulent at the same time, Twist is a meditation on the nature of narrative and truth from one of the great storytellers of our times.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 25, 2025
410 people are currently reading
17.9k people want to read
About the author
Colum McCann
82books4,219followersSign up for Colum's newsletter:
Colum McCann is the author of three collections of short stories and six novels, including "Apeirogon," published in Spring 2020. His other books include "TransAtlantic," "Let the Great World Spin," "This Side of Brightness,""Dancer" and “Zoli,� all of which were international best-sellers.
His newest book, American Mother, written with Diane Foley, is due to be published in March 2024.
American Mother takes us deep into the story of Diane Foley; whose son Jim, a freelance journalist, was held captive by ISIS before being beheaded in the Syrian desert.
Diane’s voice is channeled into searing reality by Colum, who brings us on a journey of strength, resilience, and radical empathy.
"American Mother is a book that will shake your soul out," says Sting.
Apeirogon (2020) became a best-seller on four continent.
“Let the Great World Spin� won the National Book Award in 2009. His fiction has been published in over 40 languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Paris Review and other places. He has written for numerous publications including The Irish Times, Die Zeit, La Republicca, Paris Match, The New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
In December 2023 Colum (as co-founder of Narrative 4) was the 2023 Humanitarian Award nominee, awarded by the United Nations delegations at the Ambassador's Ball in New York City.
Colum has won numerous international awards. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as the Irish association of artists, Aosdana. He has also received a Chevalier des Artes et des Lettres from the French government. He is the cofounder of the global non-profit story exchange organisation Narrative 4.
In 2003 Colum was named Esquire magazine's "Writer of the Year." Other awards and honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Rooney Prize, the Irish Independent Hughes and Hughes/Sunday Independent Novel of the Year 2003, and the 2002 Ireland Fund of Monaco Princess Grace Memorial Literary Award. He was recently inducted into the Hennessy Hall of Fame for Irish Literature.
His short film "Everything in this Country Must," directed by Gary McKendry, was nominated for an Academy Award Oscar in 2005.
Colum was born in Dublin in 1965 and began his career as a journalist in The Irish Press. In the early 1980's he took a bicycle across North America and then worked as a wilderness guide in a program for juvenile delinquents in Texas. After a year and a half in Japan, he and his wife Allison moved to New York where they currently live with their three children, Isabella, John Michael and Christian.
Colum teaches in Hunter College in New York, in the Creative Writing program, with fellow novelists Peter Carey and Tea Obreht.
Colum has completed his new novel, "Apeirogon." Crafted out of a universe of fictional and nonfictional material, McCann tells the story of Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan. One is Israeli. One is Palestinian. Both are fathers. Both have lost their daughters to the conflict. When Bassam and Rami learn of each other's stories they recognize the loss that connects them, and they begin to use their grief as a weapon for peace.
In the novel McCann crosses centuries and continents. He stitches together time, art, history, nature and politics in a tale both heartbreaking and hopeful. Musical, cinematic, muscular, delicate and soaring, Apeirogon is a novel for our times.
It is scheduled for release in the U.S in February 2020.
Advance copies will be available here on GoodReads!!!!
Colum McCann is the author of three collections of short stories and six novels, including "Apeirogon," published in Spring 2020. His other books include "TransAtlantic," "Let the Great World Spin," "This Side of Brightness,""Dancer" and “Zoli,� all of which were international best-sellers.
His newest book, American Mother, written with Diane Foley, is due to be published in March 2024.
American Mother takes us deep into the story of Diane Foley; whose son Jim, a freelance journalist, was held captive by ISIS before being beheaded in the Syrian desert.
Diane’s voice is channeled into searing reality by Colum, who brings us on a journey of strength, resilience, and radical empathy.
"American Mother is a book that will shake your soul out," says Sting.
Apeirogon (2020) became a best-seller on four continent.
“Let the Great World Spin� won the National Book Award in 2009. His fiction has been published in over 40 languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Paris Review and other places. He has written for numerous publications including The Irish Times, Die Zeit, La Republicca, Paris Match, The New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
In December 2023 Colum (as co-founder of Narrative 4) was the 2023 Humanitarian Award nominee, awarded by the United Nations delegations at the Ambassador's Ball in New York City.
Colum has won numerous international awards. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as the Irish association of artists, Aosdana. He has also received a Chevalier des Artes et des Lettres from the French government. He is the cofounder of the global non-profit story exchange organisation Narrative 4.
In 2003 Colum was named Esquire magazine's "Writer of the Year." Other awards and honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Rooney Prize, the Irish Independent Hughes and Hughes/Sunday Independent Novel of the Year 2003, and the 2002 Ireland Fund of Monaco Princess Grace Memorial Literary Award. He was recently inducted into the Hennessy Hall of Fame for Irish Literature.
His short film "Everything in this Country Must," directed by Gary McKendry, was nominated for an Academy Award Oscar in 2005.
Colum was born in Dublin in 1965 and began his career as a journalist in The Irish Press. In the early 1980's he took a bicycle across North America and then worked as a wilderness guide in a program for juvenile delinquents in Texas. After a year and a half in Japan, he and his wife Allison moved to New York where they currently live with their three children, Isabella, John Michael and Christian.
Colum teaches in Hunter College in New York, in the Creative Writing program, with fellow novelists Peter Carey and Tea Obreht.
Colum has completed his new novel, "Apeirogon." Crafted out of a universe of fictional and nonfictional material, McCann tells the story of Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan. One is Israeli. One is Palestinian. Both are fathers. Both have lost their daughters to the conflict. When Bassam and Rami learn of each other's stories they recognize the loss that connects them, and they begin to use their grief as a weapon for peace.
In the novel McCann crosses centuries and continents. He stitches together time, art, history, nature and politics in a tale both heartbreaking and hopeful. Musical, cinematic, muscular, delicate and soaring, Apeirogon is a novel for our times.
It is scheduled for release in the U.S in February 2020.
Advance copies will be available here on GoodReads!!!!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
November 17, 2024
Fascinating that so much of what keeps the internet running is buried under the sea. Chilling to stop and take a moment to really think about how much of our daily lives are so affected and so dependent on it . Even more fascinating, the human connections , the emotional ones , the difficult to understand ones , reflected in the complex characters and their relationships here . This novel is introspective and profound in reflecting connections made and connections broken, connections salvaged between people we want to understand , but don’t always. A short book , a slow burn , probably a slow read for me as most are at the moment.
Colum McCann is a versatile writer giving us stories so different from each other in storyline and characters, yet the quality of the writing is so consistently meticulous, with perfect descriptions, with beautiful prose in so many places and always deeply moving . Another book by Colum McCann, another reason why he is one of my all time favorite writers .
I received a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley .
January 8, 2025
[4.75]
This is Colum McCann, folks! Can’t go wrong. He captured the skies in the pages of , whether physical (like clouds), mental (the work of flying planes), emotional (the sight of poverty), or psychological (leaving earth’s boundaries). Here we have the setting of water, often its depths, and mind-fucking technology, like learning that data is mostly stored underwater, not in the cloud.
It was a 6 star for me much of the way. The climax has some predictable features but is still compelling and additionally, cinematic. What lowered my rating is that after the climax, it dragged out a bit and was drastically dissected. The smart reader will know these things already, due to all the fine writing and character development that preceded it. (I wonder if the editor demanded more *tell* than was necessary?) It just took a little bit of the buzz away.
Anyway, I want to talk about the positives. There was a Cormac McCarthy PASSENGER vibe to it in peaks. Also the features of toxic male syndrome is tucked in tight. There’s an evolution and a revolution-ary wave to it. The magic of technology. Humanity broken and restored.
Rival and narrator Anthony Fennell, an Irish born writer of journal pieces and plays, and diver John Conway, a man from everywhere and nowhere, represent archetypes, as if Archetypes 2.0 has been issued. Topics that concern us and meet the moment, like celebrity fever, corruption, and cos play, are examined. There's some kaleidoscopic twists, too. And flips.
Actress Zanele left a vital and verve-y impression on me. She's a resilient woman--a smidge cryptic, a lot charismatic. I’m trying to determine for myself if two men loving (if that is the accurate word) or desiring the same woman is what makes them rivals. Would they be rivals if not for this? Either way, their mutual if sometimes inscrutable conflict is intense but subtle. Calling it a love triangle might be reductive because it wasn't even explicitly said that Fennell loves Zanele, Conway's girlfriend.
McCann can’t be beat when it comes to mood, atmosphere, setting (mostly the west coast of Africa)—in fact, all five senses come to mind. Beautiful, euphonious writing. He could make beetle shit look arresting. I used to be a scuba diver, so the language and choreography of the dives came easy to me. McCann vividly took us with him, and the scenes underwater were riveting.
The story rests on themes of fracturing and unraveling and the nature of the narrative, and the plot centers on two rivals fixing underwater connections that could simultaneously reveal their hidden secrets. A pair ‘a ducks, this one! Definitely in top books I’ve read this year, but it isn’t published until 03/25/2025.
As always, a huge thanks to Penguin Random house for sending me an ARC to review.
This is Colum McCann, folks! Can’t go wrong. He captured the skies in the pages of , whether physical (like clouds), mental (the work of flying planes), emotional (the sight of poverty), or psychological (leaving earth’s boundaries). Here we have the setting of water, often its depths, and mind-fucking technology, like learning that data is mostly stored underwater, not in the cloud.
It was a 6 star for me much of the way. The climax has some predictable features but is still compelling and additionally, cinematic. What lowered my rating is that after the climax, it dragged out a bit and was drastically dissected. The smart reader will know these things already, due to all the fine writing and character development that preceded it. (I wonder if the editor demanded more *tell* than was necessary?) It just took a little bit of the buzz away.
Anyway, I want to talk about the positives. There was a Cormac McCarthy PASSENGER vibe to it in peaks. Also the features of toxic male syndrome is tucked in tight. There’s an evolution and a revolution-ary wave to it. The magic of technology. Humanity broken and restored.
Rival and narrator Anthony Fennell, an Irish born writer of journal pieces and plays, and diver John Conway, a man from everywhere and nowhere, represent archetypes, as if Archetypes 2.0 has been issued. Topics that concern us and meet the moment, like celebrity fever, corruption, and cos play, are examined. There's some kaleidoscopic twists, too. And flips.
Actress Zanele left a vital and verve-y impression on me. She's a resilient woman--a smidge cryptic, a lot charismatic. I’m trying to determine for myself if two men loving (if that is the accurate word) or desiring the same woman is what makes them rivals. Would they be rivals if not for this? Either way, their mutual if sometimes inscrutable conflict is intense but subtle. Calling it a love triangle might be reductive because it wasn't even explicitly said that Fennell loves Zanele, Conway's girlfriend.
McCann can’t be beat when it comes to mood, atmosphere, setting (mostly the west coast of Africa)—in fact, all five senses come to mind. Beautiful, euphonious writing. He could make beetle shit look arresting. I used to be a scuba diver, so the language and choreography of the dives came easy to me. McCann vividly took us with him, and the scenes underwater were riveting.
The story rests on themes of fracturing and unraveling and the nature of the narrative, and the plot centers on two rivals fixing underwater connections that could simultaneously reveal their hidden secrets. A pair ‘a ducks, this one! Definitely in top books I’ve read this year, but it isn’t published until 03/25/2025.
As always, a huge thanks to Penguin Random house for sending me an ARC to review.
March 25, 2025
Publishing Today! (March 25, 2025)
�
Irish journalist Anthony Fennell is disconnected, grappling with alcoholism and a lack of direction. When his editor assigns him a story about ships that repair underwater cable breaks, he hesitates. However, the allure of sailing out to sea and evading the pressures of his life ashore ultimately compels him to accept the assignment.
“What I needed was a story about connection, about grace, about repair.�
Undersea fiber-optic cables are vital for global communication. In "Twist," massive underwater avalanches of plants, trees, and garbage, triggered by the Congo River's response to environmental abuse, sever the cables connecting Africa to the rest of the world, and cause a major communication crisis.
The novel follows a very “Gatsby-esque� path, as Fennell's focus shifts from documenting the repair mission to his growing fascination with Conway, the mission's leader, and Zanele, Conway's lover. Initially presented as a reliable figure, Conway's behavior takes an unexpected and erratic twist, throwing Fennell off balance. Despite the intention to avoid a personality-driven narrative, Fennell’s obsession with Conway overshadows the repair mission and ultimately takes center stage.
The breakdown of communication, both societally and personally, is central to the story. There is a mysterious disruption of mass communication, while a man in midlife crisis struggles to reconnect with his ex-wife and estranged son. The overabundance of information in the world hasn't prevented the deterioration of human relationships.
“Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.�
“You can ache for years and not even know that you’ve been aching. The ache has gone so deep that it seems to come from another life, one now even remembered anymore.�
The captivating story of the Conway saga and the charismatic, mysterious captain was more developed than the narrator’s inner conflict. McCann's prose is brilliant, but the merging of the two storylines felt forced. The passages on our reliance on undersea cables were also fascinating.
Thank you to the Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Twist #NetGalley
�
Irish journalist Anthony Fennell is disconnected, grappling with alcoholism and a lack of direction. When his editor assigns him a story about ships that repair underwater cable breaks, he hesitates. However, the allure of sailing out to sea and evading the pressures of his life ashore ultimately compels him to accept the assignment.
“What I needed was a story about connection, about grace, about repair.�
Undersea fiber-optic cables are vital for global communication. In "Twist," massive underwater avalanches of plants, trees, and garbage, triggered by the Congo River's response to environmental abuse, sever the cables connecting Africa to the rest of the world, and cause a major communication crisis.
The novel follows a very “Gatsby-esque� path, as Fennell's focus shifts from documenting the repair mission to his growing fascination with Conway, the mission's leader, and Zanele, Conway's lover. Initially presented as a reliable figure, Conway's behavior takes an unexpected and erratic twist, throwing Fennell off balance. Despite the intention to avoid a personality-driven narrative, Fennell’s obsession with Conway overshadows the repair mission and ultimately takes center stage.
The breakdown of communication, both societally and personally, is central to the story. There is a mysterious disruption of mass communication, while a man in midlife crisis struggles to reconnect with his ex-wife and estranged son. The overabundance of information in the world hasn't prevented the deterioration of human relationships.
“Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.�
“You can ache for years and not even know that you’ve been aching. The ache has gone so deep that it seems to come from another life, one now even remembered anymore.�
The captivating story of the Conway saga and the charismatic, mysterious captain was more developed than the narrator’s inner conflict. McCann's prose is brilliant, but the merging of the two storylines felt forced. The passages on our reliance on undersea cables were also fascinating.
Thank you to the Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Twist #NetGalley
February 6, 2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction
I have two books by Colum McCann on my wishlist. Both Apeirogon and TransAtlantic have been on my wishlist for quite some time. When I had the chance to get a preapproved copy of his latest novel, “Twist,� I jumped at the opportunity and decided to explore his newer work, and I’m glad I did.
Although it doesn’t explicitly state in the synopsis, Twist is a modern reimagining of The Great Gatsby. The story follows an Irish journalist and playwright, Thomas Fennell, who is assigned to cover the underwater internet cables, their maintenance, and recovery. During his journey, he meets engineer John Conway and his love interest, Zanele, a South African actress.
The story delves into the narrator’s relationship with those two characters, as well as many more complex themes of our time that are well contrasted when compared. For instance, it examines the ironic dilemma of how the fiber-optic cables under the sea serve to bring people closer together, yet in reality, individuals are becoming emotionally distant.
Another similarity between this book and The Great Gatsby is that the narrator doesn’t feel reliable enough. He didn’t seem deceivable to me or anything like that, but as I progressed through the story, I could sense that he was withholding information, like not telling the other characters that he had a son.
The plot itself is not the strongest aspect of this book because the story relies more on character development. The book has a slow pace, and I understand the reason for this deliberate choice. Personally, both the plot and theme are outside my usual reading comfort zone. However, it is the excellent writing, with its lyrical and thoughtful prose, that elevated this book for me. I truly enjoyed the author’s poetic writing style and look forward to reading more of his works.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
Genre: Literary Fiction
I have two books by Colum McCann on my wishlist. Both Apeirogon and TransAtlantic have been on my wishlist for quite some time. When I had the chance to get a preapproved copy of his latest novel, “Twist,� I jumped at the opportunity and decided to explore his newer work, and I’m glad I did.
Although it doesn’t explicitly state in the synopsis, Twist is a modern reimagining of The Great Gatsby. The story follows an Irish journalist and playwright, Thomas Fennell, who is assigned to cover the underwater internet cables, their maintenance, and recovery. During his journey, he meets engineer John Conway and his love interest, Zanele, a South African actress.
The story delves into the narrator’s relationship with those two characters, as well as many more complex themes of our time that are well contrasted when compared. For instance, it examines the ironic dilemma of how the fiber-optic cables under the sea serve to bring people closer together, yet in reality, individuals are becoming emotionally distant.
Another similarity between this book and The Great Gatsby is that the narrator doesn’t feel reliable enough. He didn’t seem deceivable to me or anything like that, but as I progressed through the story, I could sense that he was withholding information, like not telling the other characters that he had a son.
The plot itself is not the strongest aspect of this book because the story relies more on character development. The book has a slow pace, and I understand the reason for this deliberate choice. Personally, both the plot and theme are outside my usual reading comfort zone. However, it is the excellent writing, with its lyrical and thoughtful prose, that elevated this book for me. I truly enjoyed the author’s poetic writing style and look forward to reading more of his works.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
November 22, 2024
“Everything gets fixed. And we all stay broken.�
Let me cut right to the chase: this book is positively dazzling. Eye-opening. Downright gutting. It’s so extraordinarily good that it soars to the top of the best contemporary fiction I have ever read, and I read a lot.
I finished the last page minutes ago, and I am still gasping for air, much like the book’s anti-hero, John Conway, the chief of mission on a cable repair ship. Twist calls to mind the ancient teaching in the Jewish religion, tikkun olam, which translates to “repairing the world.� At the same time, it evokes the dying words of Mr. Kurtz in Joseph Conrad’s 1902 novel, Heart of Darkness: “The horror! The horror!� hinting at man’s intrinsic savagery.
Immediately, Twist distinguishes itself by its subject matter. Few readers know � I certainly didn’t� that nearly all our information travels through tiny tubes at the bottom of the ocean, the primordial place where life first began. Billions of light pulses carry words, images, voices, texts, and viruses in a flow of pulsating light in tubes made from glass. Every scrap of our existence resides within these tubes.
When these cables break or stress, they must be quickly repaired. If not, the consequences would be catastrophic. So far, this is precisely what has occurred in our lives. But Colum McCann begs us to consider that lives, too, get fractured, and even skilled engineers and freedivers who need to repair themselves are capable of fracturing as they plunge into darkness.
Twist is told from the perspective of an Irish journalist and playwright, Anthony Fennell, who is assigned to cover the repair of the underwater cables. There, he meets fellow Irishman John Conway, a quixotic character besotted by a talented South African actress. The part she will play is integral and best not explored in a review. We learn quickly—within the first 30 pages—what happens to Conway, but we must unweave the complications of what we call the truth.
So many powerful questions arise from the depths of this novel. We crawled out from the ocean hundreds of millions of years ago and now choose to call it a vast emptiness, but why? Why are we blithely destroying our birthplace? (As Conway says, there’s nowhere we haven’t fucked up.)
In trying to repair the cable underground so that humankind can keep going faster and faster and faster, what hath God wrong? Are we metaphorically just putting the ends together so people can ruin one another? Are we dulling or even killing each other with poisonous information? Is what lies underneath � in the ocean and in our own being � exhibit the power to enlighten and then betray? Are we dropping our human connections to embrace those connections that fail to matter? Is it true that everything is made to be dissembled, but not all can be repaired?
If you only read one book in 2025, make sure this is the one. I am in awe of Colum McCann and what he achieved in playing his own part in tikkun olam. This book is unforgettable and I am privileged to be an early reader through Random House in exchange for an honest review.
Let me cut right to the chase: this book is positively dazzling. Eye-opening. Downright gutting. It’s so extraordinarily good that it soars to the top of the best contemporary fiction I have ever read, and I read a lot.
I finished the last page minutes ago, and I am still gasping for air, much like the book’s anti-hero, John Conway, the chief of mission on a cable repair ship. Twist calls to mind the ancient teaching in the Jewish religion, tikkun olam, which translates to “repairing the world.� At the same time, it evokes the dying words of Mr. Kurtz in Joseph Conrad’s 1902 novel, Heart of Darkness: “The horror! The horror!� hinting at man’s intrinsic savagery.
Immediately, Twist distinguishes itself by its subject matter. Few readers know � I certainly didn’t� that nearly all our information travels through tiny tubes at the bottom of the ocean, the primordial place where life first began. Billions of light pulses carry words, images, voices, texts, and viruses in a flow of pulsating light in tubes made from glass. Every scrap of our existence resides within these tubes.
When these cables break or stress, they must be quickly repaired. If not, the consequences would be catastrophic. So far, this is precisely what has occurred in our lives. But Colum McCann begs us to consider that lives, too, get fractured, and even skilled engineers and freedivers who need to repair themselves are capable of fracturing as they plunge into darkness.
Twist is told from the perspective of an Irish journalist and playwright, Anthony Fennell, who is assigned to cover the repair of the underwater cables. There, he meets fellow Irishman John Conway, a quixotic character besotted by a talented South African actress. The part she will play is integral and best not explored in a review. We learn quickly—within the first 30 pages—what happens to Conway, but we must unweave the complications of what we call the truth.
So many powerful questions arise from the depths of this novel. We crawled out from the ocean hundreds of millions of years ago and now choose to call it a vast emptiness, but why? Why are we blithely destroying our birthplace? (As Conway says, there’s nowhere we haven’t fucked up.)
In trying to repair the cable underground so that humankind can keep going faster and faster and faster, what hath God wrong? Are we metaphorically just putting the ends together so people can ruin one another? Are we dulling or even killing each other with poisonous information? Is what lies underneath � in the ocean and in our own being � exhibit the power to enlighten and then betray? Are we dropping our human connections to embrace those connections that fail to matter? Is it true that everything is made to be dissembled, but not all can be repaired?
If you only read one book in 2025, make sure this is the one. I am in awe of Colum McCann and what he achieved in playing his own part in tikkun olam. This book is unforgettable and I am privileged to be an early reader through Random House in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2024
This is a great example of an engaging story beautifully told by a writer with a limitless curiosity for unusual subjects. In other words, a masterwork. Colum McCann is one of those writers whose work I'll choose no matter what the subject since his poetic style is inimitable and his choice of material always interesting and informative. Here we have a down on his luck freelance writer from Dublin given the assignment of doing a piece on a ship tasked with reparation of the fiber optic tubes that carry the world's information on the ocean floor. Our narrator finds himself intrigued by the master of the crew, a diving expert with a story of his own. An encounter that changes the narrator's life. In other words, this is one of those books that makes me glad I love to read.
April 6, 2025
During the seven weeks between Super Bowl Sunday and baseball opening day, I find myself watching old clips of both sports to bide the time. One video that I discovered was the 1999 Super Bowl halftime show, which featured Disney characters who spoke of the oneness of humanity around the world. At the dawn of the internet age, people from all walks of life saw the possibilities of a world becoming smaller through the connectivity of this new medium. I remember two instances during those last few years before 9-11 that spoke of the same one world mantra that I saw in the video. One is a small group college class I took about globalism, and the entire course thesis was indeed how the world has grown smaller over time and , of course, the human consequences of this new globalization. The other memory is the trip I took to Epcot with my grandmother. Each country appeared to be advertising and encouraging people to visit all the countries of the world, a continuation of the positive vibes that Disney presented in its Super Bowl performance. Twenty five years later the world is connected for better or for worse via the internet. The new age of globalization has reached heights that I wonder if the innovators had forethought when they introduced this new medium. People can chat with friends on the other side of the world for free on various platforms. The distance between people had indeed shrunk to the point of humanity becoming the one world envisioned twenty five years ago.
The average person believes that text messages arrive at their destination via satellites installed in space. These messages actually travel in tubes on the sea floor, arriving at their destination within seconds. What if one of these cables happened to snap? That is the premise of the new novel written by Colum McCann, one of the masters of literary prose in this current generation. McCann is no stranger to the concept of a shrinking world due to the migration of people from one point to another. He addressed this very idea in TransAtlantic. In Twist, named for the melding of cables that carry messages along the sea floor, McCann returns to discuss the connectivity of people throughout the world, this time va the internet. In this day and age, people are plugged into their devices 24/7. When one’s wi-fi is down, as it was in my house for a good thirty six hours earlier this week, people get testy and begin to panic because most of life’s mundane tasks now require internet access. Should a cable carrying the world’s email and text messages break underneath the sea, entire countries could stand to lose their internet service, sending these countries into pandemonium. This is the scenario that McCann presents to his readers in Twist.
Anthony Fennell is a struggling middle-aged writer who has not published a novel in years. He was married once to a Chilean woman named Irenea and has a teenaged son named Joli, but Fennell has not seen either in ages, Joli having all but no memories of his father. Fennell gets a tip from an e-zine editor that the next big story is sea floor internet cables, and he is asked to write a feature article about how the cables work. Having nothing to lose at this point, Fennell travels from Dublin to Cape Town in search of a scoop, anything to jump start his career. The narrative is told from Fennell’s point of view in flashback, as he contemplates the events in this novel, what could have been done differently to preserve relationships between people. Few writers blend fiction into reality like McCann. In his author q&a at the end of TransAtlantic, he speaks of fiction versus truth and the work put in to bringing characters to life. The example he states is that just because Scout Finch only exists in a book does not mean that she is not real. As in this interview and in McCann’s other books, the events in Twist will give me pause for thought. The internet, relationships in real life and only over the web are issues that most of us encounter on a daily basis. McCann brings his fiction close to reality by addressing real world issues, pausing readers to think while still savoring his words.
In order to kickstart his career and get off the bottle, Fennell interviews a free diver named John Conway who is also an Irishman. As we find later, Conway is a master of disguise, a conman. He is also the ship commander of the Georges Lecointe, a ship tasked with finding three cable breaks of the coast of West Africa. He crew’s job is to find the breaks and repair the cables before the entire world goes dark of information. Fennell gets special permission to join the crew even if it means spending two months at sea. At this point in his career, he has nothing to lose and decides to follow the story. Conway is not easy to read. He has his own secrets and gaps in his existence, but it is obvious that he feels more comfortable in water than he does on land, reaching meditative states in his free dives that last nearly ten minutes. While commandeering the Georges Lecointe, Conway contemplates his own relationship with his partner Zanele and her two children who aren’t his but for all practical purposes are. Zanele is off to London to perform in a new interpretation of Waiting for Godot. This role could define her career and make her a star but it would also mean trading in the life of a diver for a just as purposeful one on land. Conway closes himself off to people and focuses on his job while Fennell wonders about Zanele and the twisting kaleidoscope relationship between the two of them. Even though he has been told not to write about the actress, interpersonal relationships appeal more to Fennell than repairing undersea cables. He contemplates his own relationship with his son, and, like Conway, just wants to get the job done and go home.
McCann notes that the story is about Fennell, Conway, and Zanele. All three are intriguing personas who have too many secrets that do not appear in print. Even though Fennell is the narrator, there is much to his life that readers never find out. As the seamen repair the internet cables allowing for worldwide communication to resume, Fennell crafts his article while also deciding what words to write to his son in an attempt to reopen channels of communication. He notes that he will just send a text because that is how teenagers communicate today; that text will travel in a tube along the bed of the sea and arrive to Chile within seconds. How fascinating. Fennell is yet another middle aged man to me who has come a crossroads in his life. The intriguing characters are Conway and Zanele, and McCann tantalizes readers with tidbits of information about their past and present lives while leaving out elements of their past that define who they are. Readers are left hanging and thinking about who these characters are exactly. What lead a South African and Irish citizen to meet in Key West, and how will the distance between them affect their budding relationship? Thankfully the distance between them is negligible due to the presence of the internet. How Conway and Zanele navigate this relationship over the years arriving at the events in this novel remain a mystery to readers. In the end we can only speculate as Fennell attempts to piece together lives in order to have closure, allowing his own life at a crossroads to move forward.
Globalization and its consequences is an intriguing concept for a novel. Having grown up with no internet and enjoying sending snail mail to family and friends, actually miss the anticipation of receiving a letter in the mail. Today it is 99% electronic, which can be erased with the touch of a button. In many ways, the internet provides conveniences that allow life to be lived at ease. In other regards, the connectivity fostered by the internet has reduced actual human communication to next to nothing. When Western Africa suffers from the cable break, Fennell has to speak with a hotel receptionist. Later he writes an actual letter to his son. These events humanize Fennell as a character and force him to cut down on the mysteries surrounding his life. McCann is a writer’s writer. He most likely wrote Twist as his personal response to the pandemic and the consequences humanity has to live with going forward. During those years we as a people became even more dependent on internet usage, for better or for worse. These are real life issues that humans have to live with as we move even deeper into the internet age when fewer and fewer people remember life without its existence. The twisting kaleidoscope of humanity offers much to contemplate as we have reached the quarter mark in the 21st century. Few writers discuss these issues causing readers to pause for thought like Colum McCann, who is in a writing category of his own.
4.5 star range, rating against his other books
The average person believes that text messages arrive at their destination via satellites installed in space. These messages actually travel in tubes on the sea floor, arriving at their destination within seconds. What if one of these cables happened to snap? That is the premise of the new novel written by Colum McCann, one of the masters of literary prose in this current generation. McCann is no stranger to the concept of a shrinking world due to the migration of people from one point to another. He addressed this very idea in TransAtlantic. In Twist, named for the melding of cables that carry messages along the sea floor, McCann returns to discuss the connectivity of people throughout the world, this time va the internet. In this day and age, people are plugged into their devices 24/7. When one’s wi-fi is down, as it was in my house for a good thirty six hours earlier this week, people get testy and begin to panic because most of life’s mundane tasks now require internet access. Should a cable carrying the world’s email and text messages break underneath the sea, entire countries could stand to lose their internet service, sending these countries into pandemonium. This is the scenario that McCann presents to his readers in Twist.
Anthony Fennell is a struggling middle-aged writer who has not published a novel in years. He was married once to a Chilean woman named Irenea and has a teenaged son named Joli, but Fennell has not seen either in ages, Joli having all but no memories of his father. Fennell gets a tip from an e-zine editor that the next big story is sea floor internet cables, and he is asked to write a feature article about how the cables work. Having nothing to lose at this point, Fennell travels from Dublin to Cape Town in search of a scoop, anything to jump start his career. The narrative is told from Fennell’s point of view in flashback, as he contemplates the events in this novel, what could have been done differently to preserve relationships between people. Few writers blend fiction into reality like McCann. In his author q&a at the end of TransAtlantic, he speaks of fiction versus truth and the work put in to bringing characters to life. The example he states is that just because Scout Finch only exists in a book does not mean that she is not real. As in this interview and in McCann’s other books, the events in Twist will give me pause for thought. The internet, relationships in real life and only over the web are issues that most of us encounter on a daily basis. McCann brings his fiction close to reality by addressing real world issues, pausing readers to think while still savoring his words.
In order to kickstart his career and get off the bottle, Fennell interviews a free diver named John Conway who is also an Irishman. As we find later, Conway is a master of disguise, a conman. He is also the ship commander of the Georges Lecointe, a ship tasked with finding three cable breaks of the coast of West Africa. He crew’s job is to find the breaks and repair the cables before the entire world goes dark of information. Fennell gets special permission to join the crew even if it means spending two months at sea. At this point in his career, he has nothing to lose and decides to follow the story. Conway is not easy to read. He has his own secrets and gaps in his existence, but it is obvious that he feels more comfortable in water than he does on land, reaching meditative states in his free dives that last nearly ten minutes. While commandeering the Georges Lecointe, Conway contemplates his own relationship with his partner Zanele and her two children who aren’t his but for all practical purposes are. Zanele is off to London to perform in a new interpretation of Waiting for Godot. This role could define her career and make her a star but it would also mean trading in the life of a diver for a just as purposeful one on land. Conway closes himself off to people and focuses on his job while Fennell wonders about Zanele and the twisting kaleidoscope relationship between the two of them. Even though he has been told not to write about the actress, interpersonal relationships appeal more to Fennell than repairing undersea cables. He contemplates his own relationship with his son, and, like Conway, just wants to get the job done and go home.
McCann notes that the story is about Fennell, Conway, and Zanele. All three are intriguing personas who have too many secrets that do not appear in print. Even though Fennell is the narrator, there is much to his life that readers never find out. As the seamen repair the internet cables allowing for worldwide communication to resume, Fennell crafts his article while also deciding what words to write to his son in an attempt to reopen channels of communication. He notes that he will just send a text because that is how teenagers communicate today; that text will travel in a tube along the bed of the sea and arrive to Chile within seconds. How fascinating. Fennell is yet another middle aged man to me who has come a crossroads in his life. The intriguing characters are Conway and Zanele, and McCann tantalizes readers with tidbits of information about their past and present lives while leaving out elements of their past that define who they are. Readers are left hanging and thinking about who these characters are exactly. What lead a South African and Irish citizen to meet in Key West, and how will the distance between them affect their budding relationship? Thankfully the distance between them is negligible due to the presence of the internet. How Conway and Zanele navigate this relationship over the years arriving at the events in this novel remain a mystery to readers. In the end we can only speculate as Fennell attempts to piece together lives in order to have closure, allowing his own life at a crossroads to move forward.
Globalization and its consequences is an intriguing concept for a novel. Having grown up with no internet and enjoying sending snail mail to family and friends, actually miss the anticipation of receiving a letter in the mail. Today it is 99% electronic, which can be erased with the touch of a button. In many ways, the internet provides conveniences that allow life to be lived at ease. In other regards, the connectivity fostered by the internet has reduced actual human communication to next to nothing. When Western Africa suffers from the cable break, Fennell has to speak with a hotel receptionist. Later he writes an actual letter to his son. These events humanize Fennell as a character and force him to cut down on the mysteries surrounding his life. McCann is a writer’s writer. He most likely wrote Twist as his personal response to the pandemic and the consequences humanity has to live with going forward. During those years we as a people became even more dependent on internet usage, for better or for worse. These are real life issues that humans have to live with as we move even deeper into the internet age when fewer and fewer people remember life without its existence. The twisting kaleidoscope of humanity offers much to contemplate as we have reached the quarter mark in the 21st century. Few writers discuss these issues causing readers to pause for thought like Colum McCann, who is in a writing category of his own.
4.5 star range, rating against his other books
March 29, 2025
Review published in Sunday, March 22, 2025 edition of Charleston Gazette Mail
TWIST by Colum McCann, March 25, 2025, Random House, 256 pages.
Colum McCann, author of the seminal LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN (winner of the National Book Award, and a truly fantastic book) and Oscar nominee (for a short film - I did not know this, but found out when I was double checking the page count on this novel, and on the very day after this year’s Academy Awards. For those keeping track, Adrien Brody is still talking.) returns to his Irish roots here with main character Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright. He is assigned a story about the underwater cables that carry all the information of the world in tiny, fiber optic tubes and how they sometimes break, thousands of feet below the sea: “Our lives, even the unruptured ones, bounce around on the seafloor.�
Fennell travels to the west coast of Africa, where he learns about the people who repair these cables and he meets another Irishman, John Conway, a higher-up chief of mission on a cable repair ship. Conway is an enigmatic engineer and a free diver capable of reaching unbelievable depths. He’s in love with actress Zanele, who is preparing to travel to London, where she’ll appear in a production of “Waiting for Godot� - which will serve as a metaphor for climate change.
The cable has broken due to a catastrophic flood in the Congo. It has already caused a lack of Wi-Fi and massive internet outage in South Africa. If another cable would break, all of Africa would break. Everything around the world would start to slow down. The disaster would be beyond description. The cable stretches from London to Cape Town in a canyon 13,000 feet deep. These are the things on which the world balances.
We know within the first thirty or so pages what will happen. It is how we get there that is key.
Both Fennell and Conway have issues with alcohol. For Fennell, who has a sixteen year old son in Chile he hasn’t written to in five years, “it was a time of enormous greed and foolish longing and, in the end, unfathomable isolation.�
While at sea, the men face many fundamental questions about life, love and, yes, connection. In an incredibly fractured world, are we able to make connections any longer, when things become broken, or are the ruptures permanent?
In the end there are three breaks that must be repaired, which means the crew and Fennell will be at sea for weeks, maybe longer. Days of traveling, due to each breach, then more days of looking for the breaks, which are incredibly difficult to pinpoint. As the first break is being repaired, tragedy strikes in London, but no one can leave the ship, so Conway remains.
Ultimately the book also covers narrative, and truth - the stories we tell and what is true within them. It reads almost like a thriller and is another excellent book by McCann.
TWIST by Colum McCann, March 25, 2025, Random House, 256 pages.
Colum McCann, author of the seminal LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN (winner of the National Book Award, and a truly fantastic book) and Oscar nominee (for a short film - I did not know this, but found out when I was double checking the page count on this novel, and on the very day after this year’s Academy Awards. For those keeping track, Adrien Brody is still talking.) returns to his Irish roots here with main character Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright. He is assigned a story about the underwater cables that carry all the information of the world in tiny, fiber optic tubes and how they sometimes break, thousands of feet below the sea: “Our lives, even the unruptured ones, bounce around on the seafloor.�
Fennell travels to the west coast of Africa, where he learns about the people who repair these cables and he meets another Irishman, John Conway, a higher-up chief of mission on a cable repair ship. Conway is an enigmatic engineer and a free diver capable of reaching unbelievable depths. He’s in love with actress Zanele, who is preparing to travel to London, where she’ll appear in a production of “Waiting for Godot� - which will serve as a metaphor for climate change.
The cable has broken due to a catastrophic flood in the Congo. It has already caused a lack of Wi-Fi and massive internet outage in South Africa. If another cable would break, all of Africa would break. Everything around the world would start to slow down. The disaster would be beyond description. The cable stretches from London to Cape Town in a canyon 13,000 feet deep. These are the things on which the world balances.
We know within the first thirty or so pages what will happen. It is how we get there that is key.
Both Fennell and Conway have issues with alcohol. For Fennell, who has a sixteen year old son in Chile he hasn’t written to in five years, “it was a time of enormous greed and foolish longing and, in the end, unfathomable isolation.�
While at sea, the men face many fundamental questions about life, love and, yes, connection. In an incredibly fractured world, are we able to make connections any longer, when things become broken, or are the ruptures permanent?
In the end there are three breaks that must be repaired, which means the crew and Fennell will be at sea for weeks, maybe longer. Days of traveling, due to each breach, then more days of looking for the breaks, which are incredibly difficult to pinpoint. As the first break is being repaired, tragedy strikes in London, but no one can leave the ship, so Conway remains.
Ultimately the book also covers narrative, and truth - the stories we tell and what is true within them. It reads almost like a thriller and is another excellent book by McCann.
April 3, 2025
This book explores the world of connections and communications � both interpersonal and physical. Protagonist Anthony Fennell is an Irish writer researching an article about the undersea cables that provide the infrastructure for global communications. He travels to South Africa where he meets the Chief of Mission of a repair ship, John Conway, a fellow Irishman, who introduces Fennell to his wife, Zanele, a black South African actress, and their twins. It is narrated in first person by Fennell looking back on what happened. The storyline follows Fennell’s interactions (and growing obsession) with Conway, their experiences with repairs of breaks in the underseas cables, Zanele’s experiences in London, and a mystery related to Conway.
It is a beautifully written literary work that addresses timely and relevant themes. Many (if not most) people are unaware how much of our global communication depends on these undersea fiberoptic cables, and that breaks in them could have significant consequences. It is filled with literary references, which I enjoyed discovering. I think this work may be a modern retelling of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. At the very least, there are many allusions and parallels.
I think the author does a fabulous job of drawing links between the characters� personal stories and the work they are performing � both Conway at sea and Zanele as an actor. It comments on the importance of direct personal relationships, which are dwindling in this age of technology. It contains elements of philosophy while telling a compelling story and commenting on the state of the world. I loved it.
It is a beautifully written literary work that addresses timely and relevant themes. Many (if not most) people are unaware how much of our global communication depends on these undersea fiberoptic cables, and that breaks in them could have significant consequences. It is filled with literary references, which I enjoyed discovering. I think this work may be a modern retelling of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. At the very least, there are many allusions and parallels.
I think the author does a fabulous job of drawing links between the characters� personal stories and the work they are performing � both Conway at sea and Zanele as an actor. It comments on the importance of direct personal relationships, which are dwindling in this age of technology. It contains elements of philosophy while telling a compelling story and commenting on the state of the world. I loved it.
March 22, 2025
In 2009, Colum McCann published a curious book called “Let the Great World Spin� that had everybody looking up. The novel, which went on to win both a National Book Award and the International Dublin Literary Award, presents several apparently disparate stories while a tightrope-walker modeled after Philippe Petit tiptoes between the twin towers on a wire.
Fifteen years later, McCann is back traversing a much longer, more fragile wire. But now, it’s not high over our heads; it’s running along the bottom of the ocean. The line that winds through “Twist� is a transcontinental fiber-optic cable that carries the great world’s messages, news, images, voices and ideas at the speed of light.
The narrator, Irishman Anthony Fennell, introduces himself as a minor novelist and occasional playwright who needs to shake off the lethargy that’s atrophied his talent. At 47, his life has not been going well. His career is dormant. He hasn’t spoken to his teenage son in years. “How long,� he wonders, “had I been walking around in the same set of clothes?�
Hoping to arrest his descent into alcoholism, he accepts an assignment from a magazine editor to write about deep-sea cable-repair operations. That technical subject sounds likely to inspire more drinking � even Anthony admits, “I had no interest in cables� � but he’s determined to deliver “a story about connection, about grace, about repair.�
A more skeptical magazine editor might have pulled the plug right there at that first hint of grandiloquence. Instead, Anthony flies to Cape Town with a generous budget and waits. The moment a major cable snaps off the west coast of Africa, he’ll be ready to....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
Fifteen years later, McCann is back traversing a much longer, more fragile wire. But now, it’s not high over our heads; it’s running along the bottom of the ocean. The line that winds through “Twist� is a transcontinental fiber-optic cable that carries the great world’s messages, news, images, voices and ideas at the speed of light.
The narrator, Irishman Anthony Fennell, introduces himself as a minor novelist and occasional playwright who needs to shake off the lethargy that’s atrophied his talent. At 47, his life has not been going well. His career is dormant. He hasn’t spoken to his teenage son in years. “How long,� he wonders, “had I been walking around in the same set of clothes?�
Hoping to arrest his descent into alcoholism, he accepts an assignment from a magazine editor to write about deep-sea cable-repair operations. That technical subject sounds likely to inspire more drinking � even Anthony admits, “I had no interest in cables� � but he’s determined to deliver “a story about connection, about grace, about repair.�
A more skeptical magazine editor might have pulled the plug right there at that first hint of grandiloquence. Instead, Anthony flies to Cape Town with a generous budget and waits. The moment a major cable snaps off the west coast of Africa, he’ll be ready to....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
November 29, 2024
Troubles of all sorts masquerading as progress. Violence of a malevolent force traversing generations. A famine of modern means, scalping hope from the bone like flees from tweed; oh, how catastrophic humanity lends itself to being. Through supple verse & hymns of classic veneration, what plagues a person most is what is unsaid, that which lives in the burrows of their heart. Yet, cataclysmic terror does not a good story make. A writer must pen from the putrid, must wander through the muck, reaching through the crisp pines for the hand of a stranger, asking them to listen, asking them to care.
What caught my eye & what held my gaze, was the cover art. Every little bit I found myself wandering back to the book’s page where I stared at the cover, eyes roaming over the listed genres & the character’s journey. Originally, I was conflicted about requesting this book. I have not hidden my reviews since I began writing them & so understand when an author or a Publishing House decides against the chance of fate; the coin toss that I might write 2,000 words of venom about their prized possession. There was, however, hope that I would receive a copy of this book.
I was hopeful because the main character appealed to me in a way I cannot quite explain. Anthony is in his middle age when we meet him & he is not altogether a man another person would trust, nor is he a character readers will learn to love.
In fact, I found that the hope I held festered in me, growing into anticipation; I needed to read this book. Now that the task has been completed, I wonder whether or not my hope was unfounded. I cannot say that all readers will appreciate the gentle tug of the plot, the ploy of the lost soul, nor the terrorism that is forgiven by those who miss the assailant. Regardless, I find myself wandering back down the dock, waiting to catch a glimpse of the waves that brought Anthony to the precipice of change.
In essence, this is a book about underwater cables. The main premise focuses on the Georges Lecointe ship & her mission to sail from South Africa to Ghana to fix a cable that has been severed. The narrative presents readers with a cast of characters, a crew of diverse men whose experiences assemble them on deck with a common goal. The story itself furrows brows with its slow pace & redundant reflections. A reader will be forgiven for wondering whether something of marvellous value will be presented as they flip one page after the other, in wait.
For readers who come upon this book hoping to find a mystery or longing to be met with a story that will riddle them with intrigue, McCann’s novel will not give them what they want. This is not a bad thing. I view this as an important distinction for what is written inside the bind is of value in its own right, though it does not cast a shadow to squander Pan’s. Rather, this book is an Odyssey the likes of which patient readers will appreciate for its secluded setting & raving madness.
Anthony, the main character, is a man who remembers the Troubles in Ireland; a man whose home was silent but for the nagging guilt that choked its inhabitants & the revulsive regret that capsized their beings. His decision to write a book about Conway came to him as he watched the man become a person led by a cause unheard by other ears.
For Anthony, bearing witness to a man with so much dialogue left unsaid, & so many days spent in intentional isolation, was curious. The two characters could be brothers or best friends, readers will note the similarities between the two as they pretend to forget from whence they came.
Here we too arrive at the precise moment of importance. This story revels in the pensiveness of belonging, & the turmoil of a place revolutionized by Church, State, & partisan. For Anthony, reminders of his childhood bring him a sickening nostalgia, whereas Conway acts as though he lives there still, in the moors near where his mother’s boat capsized.
It is intriguing to witness two characters mirror each other so profoundly. The relationship that they develop is built on their homeland. However, neither man seems eager to remind the other that they come from a land small in geography & suffocating in historical impacts.
I often found myself wondering if the men could have been true friends, had they met at another time, in another life. The story explores the downfall of Conway as he abandons the Georges Lecointe to pursue terrorism against the underground cables, leaving bombs attached which may—ideally—not impact or harm others but which could—quite probably—kill a person. By the end of the book, the reader has learnt that Conway was the perpetrator of his own demise. He died having dived to reach a cable off the Egyptian coast to break it apart, the blast leaving his carcass for the ocean life.
The author includes interesting tidbits about the logistics of underwater cables. The feeds drive our land-based communication & allow us to maintain some semblance of awareness about the world around us. What each character is left wondering is whether this is a positive reality for humanity.
Surely, at face value, our ability to communicate & transfer information with one another at such speed & with such frequency is a positive thing. The world has never before been so known to us & yet we are constantly faced with problems of our own making. What do we do about plastic pollution in the oceans & lakes? What happens when the glaciers melt? Are we supposed to know everything about the world or were we better off ignorant of our follies?
Anthony seems of the mind that awareness is a consequence of existence. In times of trouble, he mentally returns to things he has not thought about for years. This practice seems to soothe him as he wanders the world on the heels of great figures of change. Never does he question whether the words he writes should be penned or whether the words he says should be spoken.
In fact, Anthony, though a man of earnest intention, remains placated by the actions of others so much so that he has allowed his son to wander into the arms of others, rather than offering up his own. Will the reader fault him for this?
When exploring Anthony’s character one must wonder at the early days. A person is not who they are when we meet them without the moon’s company over many nights & sun’s warm watchful rays. Yet, few of us ever learn enough about one another to fully appreciate the journey of life.
While reading Anthony’s story, I felt conflicted. At times, he felt it in his ability to share more of himself than he would receive. In fact, he will never know the reader intimately, & will never have the chance to converse with the person consuming his story.
These chapters, more so these sections, were of particular importance because they lend themselves as explanations for both Anthony & Conway. Neither man will be fully transparent with anyone. I rather doubt there has come a time in their lives where they felt it was to their benefit to call to their experiences like art exhibited in a museum. I will not fault them for that.
Anthony’s small moments of vulnerability where he speaks truth to power, coining the tendrils of an un-beating tremor, will remind readers of the reality that besought the characters. There is certainly no need to excuse either man’s behaviour, they do not make excuses for their choices & I am rather inclined to believe that they would be distraught at the prospect of pity.
Yet, it is important to remember what sent Conway into the ocean’s depths & what led Anthony to isolate himself on a freight ship. Potentially, the gravity of their upbringing will be lost on the reader.Their need for a grand mystery of terror may supersede the calming tone of the truth; some people never escape the confines built inside them.
What I appreciated most about this novel was how simple it was. Men on the ocean repairing cables. Men on the ocean caught in the tidal waves of their burdens. That being said, I did find some moments annoying. Zenele was not a person who read to me as genuine. I suppose this is because everyone in the story felt so enamoured by her, that everything she said had a twang of falsehood.
Certainly, because the reader learns about her by proxy of Anthony, it is not surprising that I felt so conflicted about her character. However, as the story progressed, I felt that there were two truths. Zee was a person who adopted the role of other people, the roles built for make-believe, she voiced things that were not her words & was given praise for their delivery. I found her taunts about the guilt of humanity flawed & her deity-like essence pruned at the edges.
I will not pretend to have adored any character in this book, I rather doubt that was the author’s goal. However, the faults & flaws of the cast of primary & secondary characters felt authentic & though they may not have wanted to be transparent about themselves, they lived in truth, no matter the cost.
When I regard the characters for what they are & what they contributed to the story I welcome them all. The silent wandering legs aboard the ship, the silent prayers of longing for something different, the careful prodding for vulnerability faced with one another, & the reflection they saw in the mirror.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this story because it was enough of what it was to succeed at being what it hoped to become. The narrative studies the reality of access to information & the toll this has taken on humanity. Our inability to wander the grooves of awareness torments progress as we covet repetition redundantly.
The setting gathered a cloak of wet wallowing into the gore of each word, every memory a soggy state of affairs. The reader will choose whether they wish to regard this novel as the romanced tale of a man who wished no longer to know & forget the messages he could not send or, whether they wish to interpret the tale as a swan song of longing for an end, near & dear to their heart.
There will be no resolution that pleases the reader & their interpretations will vary. Should a person come across this story they will be met with the turbulent nature of the species & the journeys we undergo to be met with ourselves.
The numbing isolation of the truth can be met when the reader is prepared to settle on its existence. Coyly the author closes his story to fondle the airways he has yet to navigate; memories of a world he once knew. One day, the reader may come to find that Anthony, like many, has forgotten parts of himself in the past. Conway was perhaps attempting to set his countryman free from the rumbling nature of war that wiggled the doorhandle, cooing for entry into the green wide yonder of home.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, & Colum McCann for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
What caught my eye & what held my gaze, was the cover art. Every little bit I found myself wandering back to the book’s page where I stared at the cover, eyes roaming over the listed genres & the character’s journey. Originally, I was conflicted about requesting this book. I have not hidden my reviews since I began writing them & so understand when an author or a Publishing House decides against the chance of fate; the coin toss that I might write 2,000 words of venom about their prized possession. There was, however, hope that I would receive a copy of this book.
I was hopeful because the main character appealed to me in a way I cannot quite explain. Anthony is in his middle age when we meet him & he is not altogether a man another person would trust, nor is he a character readers will learn to love.
In fact, I found that the hope I held festered in me, growing into anticipation; I needed to read this book. Now that the task has been completed, I wonder whether or not my hope was unfounded. I cannot say that all readers will appreciate the gentle tug of the plot, the ploy of the lost soul, nor the terrorism that is forgiven by those who miss the assailant. Regardless, I find myself wandering back down the dock, waiting to catch a glimpse of the waves that brought Anthony to the precipice of change.
In essence, this is a book about underwater cables. The main premise focuses on the Georges Lecointe ship & her mission to sail from South Africa to Ghana to fix a cable that has been severed. The narrative presents readers with a cast of characters, a crew of diverse men whose experiences assemble them on deck with a common goal. The story itself furrows brows with its slow pace & redundant reflections. A reader will be forgiven for wondering whether something of marvellous value will be presented as they flip one page after the other, in wait.
For readers who come upon this book hoping to find a mystery or longing to be met with a story that will riddle them with intrigue, McCann’s novel will not give them what they want. This is not a bad thing. I view this as an important distinction for what is written inside the bind is of value in its own right, though it does not cast a shadow to squander Pan’s. Rather, this book is an Odyssey the likes of which patient readers will appreciate for its secluded setting & raving madness.
Anthony, the main character, is a man who remembers the Troubles in Ireland; a man whose home was silent but for the nagging guilt that choked its inhabitants & the revulsive regret that capsized their beings. His decision to write a book about Conway came to him as he watched the man become a person led by a cause unheard by other ears.
For Anthony, bearing witness to a man with so much dialogue left unsaid, & so many days spent in intentional isolation, was curious. The two characters could be brothers or best friends, readers will note the similarities between the two as they pretend to forget from whence they came.
Here we too arrive at the precise moment of importance. This story revels in the pensiveness of belonging, & the turmoil of a place revolutionized by Church, State, & partisan. For Anthony, reminders of his childhood bring him a sickening nostalgia, whereas Conway acts as though he lives there still, in the moors near where his mother’s boat capsized.
It is intriguing to witness two characters mirror each other so profoundly. The relationship that they develop is built on their homeland. However, neither man seems eager to remind the other that they come from a land small in geography & suffocating in historical impacts.
I often found myself wondering if the men could have been true friends, had they met at another time, in another life. The story explores the downfall of Conway as he abandons the Georges Lecointe to pursue terrorism against the underground cables, leaving bombs attached which may—ideally—not impact or harm others but which could—quite probably—kill a person. By the end of the book, the reader has learnt that Conway was the perpetrator of his own demise. He died having dived to reach a cable off the Egyptian coast to break it apart, the blast leaving his carcass for the ocean life.
The author includes interesting tidbits about the logistics of underwater cables. The feeds drive our land-based communication & allow us to maintain some semblance of awareness about the world around us. What each character is left wondering is whether this is a positive reality for humanity.
Surely, at face value, our ability to communicate & transfer information with one another at such speed & with such frequency is a positive thing. The world has never before been so known to us & yet we are constantly faced with problems of our own making. What do we do about plastic pollution in the oceans & lakes? What happens when the glaciers melt? Are we supposed to know everything about the world or were we better off ignorant of our follies?
Anthony seems of the mind that awareness is a consequence of existence. In times of trouble, he mentally returns to things he has not thought about for years. This practice seems to soothe him as he wanders the world on the heels of great figures of change. Never does he question whether the words he writes should be penned or whether the words he says should be spoken.
In fact, Anthony, though a man of earnest intention, remains placated by the actions of others so much so that he has allowed his son to wander into the arms of others, rather than offering up his own. Will the reader fault him for this?
When exploring Anthony’s character one must wonder at the early days. A person is not who they are when we meet them without the moon’s company over many nights & sun’s warm watchful rays. Yet, few of us ever learn enough about one another to fully appreciate the journey of life.
While reading Anthony’s story, I felt conflicted. At times, he felt it in his ability to share more of himself than he would receive. In fact, he will never know the reader intimately, & will never have the chance to converse with the person consuming his story.
These chapters, more so these sections, were of particular importance because they lend themselves as explanations for both Anthony & Conway. Neither man will be fully transparent with anyone. I rather doubt there has come a time in their lives where they felt it was to their benefit to call to their experiences like art exhibited in a museum. I will not fault them for that.
Anthony’s small moments of vulnerability where he speaks truth to power, coining the tendrils of an un-beating tremor, will remind readers of the reality that besought the characters. There is certainly no need to excuse either man’s behaviour, they do not make excuses for their choices & I am rather inclined to believe that they would be distraught at the prospect of pity.
Yet, it is important to remember what sent Conway into the ocean’s depths & what led Anthony to isolate himself on a freight ship. Potentially, the gravity of their upbringing will be lost on the reader.Their need for a grand mystery of terror may supersede the calming tone of the truth; some people never escape the confines built inside them.
What I appreciated most about this novel was how simple it was. Men on the ocean repairing cables. Men on the ocean caught in the tidal waves of their burdens. That being said, I did find some moments annoying. Zenele was not a person who read to me as genuine. I suppose this is because everyone in the story felt so enamoured by her, that everything she said had a twang of falsehood.
Certainly, because the reader learns about her by proxy of Anthony, it is not surprising that I felt so conflicted about her character. However, as the story progressed, I felt that there were two truths. Zee was a person who adopted the role of other people, the roles built for make-believe, she voiced things that were not her words & was given praise for their delivery. I found her taunts about the guilt of humanity flawed & her deity-like essence pruned at the edges.
I will not pretend to have adored any character in this book, I rather doubt that was the author’s goal. However, the faults & flaws of the cast of primary & secondary characters felt authentic & though they may not have wanted to be transparent about themselves, they lived in truth, no matter the cost.
When I regard the characters for what they are & what they contributed to the story I welcome them all. The silent wandering legs aboard the ship, the silent prayers of longing for something different, the careful prodding for vulnerability faced with one another, & the reflection they saw in the mirror.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this story because it was enough of what it was to succeed at being what it hoped to become. The narrative studies the reality of access to information & the toll this has taken on humanity. Our inability to wander the grooves of awareness torments progress as we covet repetition redundantly.
The setting gathered a cloak of wet wallowing into the gore of each word, every memory a soggy state of affairs. The reader will choose whether they wish to regard this novel as the romanced tale of a man who wished no longer to know & forget the messages he could not send or, whether they wish to interpret the tale as a swan song of longing for an end, near & dear to their heart.
There will be no resolution that pleases the reader & their interpretations will vary. Should a person come across this story they will be met with the turbulent nature of the species & the journeys we undergo to be met with ourselves.
The numbing isolation of the truth can be met when the reader is prepared to settle on its existence. Coyly the author closes his story to fondle the airways he has yet to navigate; memories of a world he once knew. One day, the reader may come to find that Anthony, like many, has forgotten parts of himself in the past. Conway was perhaps attempting to set his countryman free from the rumbling nature of war that wiggled the doorhandle, cooing for entry into the green wide yonder of home.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, & Colum McCann for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2025
In 2019, Anthony Fennell is given the assignment of writing a magazine article about the work of the men who repair the underwater cables that transmit the information that runs today’s world. He travels to South Africa where he meets John Conway who agrees to let him sail with his crew on their next repair mission. Fennell also meets Conway’s lover, the South African actress, Zanele. She is about to head to England to appear in a play. The book is written from Fennell’s point of view, as he attempts to tell the story of Conway. “I am not sure that anybody, anywhere, is truly aware of what lay at the core of Conway and the era he, and we, lived through � it was a time of enormous greed and foolish longing and, in the end, unfathomable isolation.�
The writing here was lovely, but ultimately I thought that the author left too many gaps in the characterization of Conway and Zanele. Conway was meant to be a mysterious shape shifter, but even so I would have liked to have been given some clue into his inner life. A section near the end of the book shifts to a description of Conway’s activities after the cable is repaired, but we still get no hints about why he is doing these things, which frankly make no sense at all. The book was also kind of a jumble of issues - middle aged angst, lack of connection, ocean pollution, terrorism, Covid, etc.
I’ve had mixed experiences with this author’s books but some, like “Apeirogon�, “Thirteen Ways of Looking� and “Dancer� are so good that I will keep reading anything he writes. I also like the way that he never repeats himself. 3.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
The writing here was lovely, but ultimately I thought that the author left too many gaps in the characterization of Conway and Zanele. Conway was meant to be a mysterious shape shifter, but even so I would have liked to have been given some clue into his inner life. A section near the end of the book shifts to a description of Conway’s activities after the cable is repaired, but we still get no hints about why he is doing these things, which frankly make no sense at all. The book was also kind of a jumble of issues - middle aged angst, lack of connection, ocean pollution, terrorism, Covid, etc.
I’ve had mixed experiences with this author’s books but some, like “Apeirogon�, “Thirteen Ways of Looking� and “Dancer� are so good that I will keep reading anything he writes. I also like the way that he never repeats himself. 3.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
March 19, 2025
Colum McCann's latest novel is about the fiber optic cables that lie at the bottom of the ocean and carry nearly all our information through billions of pulses of light. And yes, these cables do break and someone needs to fix them as quickly as possible. This is the story of one such man, a man named John A. Conway, whose job it was to go out with a crew on a cable repair vessel, find the break and fix it asap. He was a complicated man and this is the story of how he wandered and was lost.
The story is told by Anthony Fennell, an Irish writer who has been hired to write an article about these underwater cables for an online magazine. He meets Conway and arranges to board the Georges Lecointe, a cable repair vessel which is heading out to fix two major breaks off the west coast of Africa.
McCann himself gives a nod to Joseph Conrad and the story does certainly carry an atmosphere of dread. I was also reminded of novels by Graham Greene. The characters are complex and at times unfathomable--at least to me. I never did quite understand Conway--except perhaps for what is expressed in this quote: "The most casual things can, after all, twist our tired hearts."
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc via Net Galley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
The story is told by Anthony Fennell, an Irish writer who has been hired to write an article about these underwater cables for an online magazine. He meets Conway and arranges to board the Georges Lecointe, a cable repair vessel which is heading out to fix two major breaks off the west coast of Africa.
McCann himself gives a nod to Joseph Conrad and the story does certainly carry an atmosphere of dread. I was also reminded of novels by Graham Greene. The characters are complex and at times unfathomable--at least to me. I never did quite understand Conway--except perhaps for what is expressed in this quote: "The most casual things can, after all, twist our tired hearts."
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc via Net Galley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
March 4, 2025
3,5
‘Twist� is largely a novel about ‘repair�. Repair of a cables, repair of people (Fennell, Conway), and repair of relationships. I enjoyed and raced through the topical story, but had some trouble with the characters. They’re interesting enough, but I felt I didn’t really got to know them. The Conway mystery (why he did what he did) remains mostly unsolved as well, which was somewhat frustrating in the end.
Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley UK for the ARC
‘Twist� is largely a novel about ‘repair�. Repair of a cables, repair of people (Fennell, Conway), and repair of relationships. I enjoyed and raced through the topical story, but had some trouble with the characters. They’re interesting enough, but I felt I didn’t really got to know them. The Conway mystery (why he did what he did) remains mostly unsolved as well, which was somewhat frustrating in the end.
Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley UK for the ARC
March 24, 2025
Kurzmeinung: McCann gut im Informationsteil; im Beziehungspart merklich schwächer.
Vom Bewahrer zum Zerstörer
Im vorliegenden Roman Colum McCanns „Twist� geht es um die Verwandlung eines Mannes. Um den Twist. Einst schützte er die Allgemeinheit, dann versucht er, ihr Schaden zuzufügen.
Der Ich-Erzähler Anthony Fennell ist ein gescheiterter Mensch, ein Zerbrochener, als solchen begreift er sich nach eine Weile an Bord der George Lecointe widerwillig. Seine Ehe scheiterte, seinen Sohn gab er auf, je nach Lesart, mehr oder weniger bereitwillig, in seinem Beruf als Autor und Journalist ist er nur mittelmäßig und er ist Alkoholiker. Als er die Chance bekommt, auf einem Reparaturschiff für zerstörte Datenübermittlungskabel in der Tiefsee mitzufahren, ergreift er sie als willkommene Gelegenheit, dem Alkohol abzuschwören und mit sich ins Reine zu kommen.
Der Kommentar und das Leseerlebnis:
Die Teile des Romans, die sich mit der Funktion der Datenkabel Untersees beschäftigen, mit der Natur, mit dem Thema Internet und Menschheitsleistung, sind sehr gelungen. McCann ist ein Wortvirtuose und kann Atmosphäre und Verdichtung!
Die Teile des Romans indessen, die mit der inneren Unsicherheit des Mannseins zu tun haben, sich dem Gejammer Grönemeyers „Männer habens schwer�� widmen, sind mit Vorbehalt zu genießen.
Beim Thema „Vom Loyalisten zum Terroristen� bleibt McCann naturgemäß vage. Wer kann es auch wissen, wie es zu Selbstmordattentaten kommen kann und wie sich zum Beispiel ein Märtyrer fühlt. Da Colum McCann sich dieser Unzulänglichkeiten seines Sujets jedoch durchaus bewusst ist, und sie sogar thematisiert bis hin zur Darstellung des Problems, wie man Informations-Bruchstücke im Schreibprozeß zu einem stimmigen Ganzen zusammenfügen könne (muss ich nicht wissen, wie man das macht), kann man diese Bruchstückhaftigkeit ihm wohl kaum vorhalten.
Colum McCanns hohe Kunst der Beschreibung blitzt auf in grandiosen Naturbeschreibungen. Und das Thema „Datenkabel im tiefen Ozean� ist zunächst per se faszinierend für den Leser. Wer macht sich schon darüber Gedanken, dass die meisten Impulse unseres digitalen Lebens keineswegs durch Satellitenübertragung passieren, sondern durch die Glasfaserkabel transportiert werden, die im Meeresgrund liegen. Dort sind sie den Unbilden der Natur ausgesetzt � und dem Terrorismus. Kabel können reißen oder sabotiert werden und dann müssen sie von mutigen und fähigen Menschen repariert werden. Es ist eine harte Arbeit, die an den Nerven zehrt. Dieser Teil des Romans ist hochspannend. Leider zu kurz.
Fazit: Ich verstehe die Probleme, die (junge) Männer angeblich mit sich selber haben nicht. Warum noch mal muss man saufen entweder bis zur Bewusstlosigkeit oder bis zur Sucht, wenn man nicht mehr klar kommt und mit der Faust in den Spiegel schlagen? Diese Mannhatsschwer-Seite des Romans hat mich völlig kalt gelassen und führt zu Punktabzug. Der Rest und der höchst eigenwillige Stil, mit innovativen Sprachbildern, die mal mehr und mal weniger gelungen sind, die Geschichte auf See, überzeugt. Manches seltsame Sprachbild schreibe ich dem Übersetzer zu, der die möglichst wörtliche Übersetzung wählte und sich nicht die Mühe macht, bei Redewendungen entsprechende deutsche Pendants zu suchen.
Kategorie: Anspruchsvoller Roman
Verlag: Rowohlt 2025
Vom Bewahrer zum Zerstörer
Im vorliegenden Roman Colum McCanns „Twist� geht es um die Verwandlung eines Mannes. Um den Twist. Einst schützte er die Allgemeinheit, dann versucht er, ihr Schaden zuzufügen.
Der Ich-Erzähler Anthony Fennell ist ein gescheiterter Mensch, ein Zerbrochener, als solchen begreift er sich nach eine Weile an Bord der George Lecointe widerwillig. Seine Ehe scheiterte, seinen Sohn gab er auf, je nach Lesart, mehr oder weniger bereitwillig, in seinem Beruf als Autor und Journalist ist er nur mittelmäßig und er ist Alkoholiker. Als er die Chance bekommt, auf einem Reparaturschiff für zerstörte Datenübermittlungskabel in der Tiefsee mitzufahren, ergreift er sie als willkommene Gelegenheit, dem Alkohol abzuschwören und mit sich ins Reine zu kommen.
Der Kommentar und das Leseerlebnis:
Die Teile des Romans, die sich mit der Funktion der Datenkabel Untersees beschäftigen, mit der Natur, mit dem Thema Internet und Menschheitsleistung, sind sehr gelungen. McCann ist ein Wortvirtuose und kann Atmosphäre und Verdichtung!
Die Teile des Romans indessen, die mit der inneren Unsicherheit des Mannseins zu tun haben, sich dem Gejammer Grönemeyers „Männer habens schwer�� widmen, sind mit Vorbehalt zu genießen.
Beim Thema „Vom Loyalisten zum Terroristen� bleibt McCann naturgemäß vage. Wer kann es auch wissen, wie es zu Selbstmordattentaten kommen kann und wie sich zum Beispiel ein Märtyrer fühlt. Da Colum McCann sich dieser Unzulänglichkeiten seines Sujets jedoch durchaus bewusst ist, und sie sogar thematisiert bis hin zur Darstellung des Problems, wie man Informations-Bruchstücke im Schreibprozeß zu einem stimmigen Ganzen zusammenfügen könne (muss ich nicht wissen, wie man das macht), kann man diese Bruchstückhaftigkeit ihm wohl kaum vorhalten.
Colum McCanns hohe Kunst der Beschreibung blitzt auf in grandiosen Naturbeschreibungen. Und das Thema „Datenkabel im tiefen Ozean� ist zunächst per se faszinierend für den Leser. Wer macht sich schon darüber Gedanken, dass die meisten Impulse unseres digitalen Lebens keineswegs durch Satellitenübertragung passieren, sondern durch die Glasfaserkabel transportiert werden, die im Meeresgrund liegen. Dort sind sie den Unbilden der Natur ausgesetzt � und dem Terrorismus. Kabel können reißen oder sabotiert werden und dann müssen sie von mutigen und fähigen Menschen repariert werden. Es ist eine harte Arbeit, die an den Nerven zehrt. Dieser Teil des Romans ist hochspannend. Leider zu kurz.
Fazit: Ich verstehe die Probleme, die (junge) Männer angeblich mit sich selber haben nicht. Warum noch mal muss man saufen entweder bis zur Bewusstlosigkeit oder bis zur Sucht, wenn man nicht mehr klar kommt und mit der Faust in den Spiegel schlagen? Diese Mannhatsschwer-Seite des Romans hat mich völlig kalt gelassen und führt zu Punktabzug. Der Rest und der höchst eigenwillige Stil, mit innovativen Sprachbildern, die mal mehr und mal weniger gelungen sind, die Geschichte auf See, überzeugt. Manches seltsame Sprachbild schreibe ich dem Übersetzer zu, der die möglichst wörtliche Übersetzung wählte und sich nicht die Mühe macht, bei Redewendungen entsprechende deutsche Pendants zu suchen.
Kategorie: Anspruchsvoller Roman
Verlag: Rowohlt 2025
April 8, 2025
Colum McCann has once again written a beautiful, moving narrative about repair � or the impossibility thereof � from broken technology to broken human relationships.
It took McCann to educate me about the myriad of undersea fiber optic cables that carry the majority of the world’s communication data � all through pulses of light. The narrator, Anthony Fennel is an Irish playwright and journalist, who is at a low point in his life and career. He takes an assignment which will involve writing an article about his experiences on a ship that fixes broken undersea cables. Anthony travels to South Africa, where he meets John Conway, the head of the crew of repair specialists. Anthony spends time with Conway in South Africa (where the ship is docked, waiting for a cable break), where he sees Conway’s superlative ability to deep free dive and also meets Conway’s significant other, Zanele, an actress. While Anthony is a writer at the end of his rope with many broken relationships (and a love of alcohol), he is a straightforward person. Conway is terse, confusing and mysterious. The background is set, a cable breaks, the ship sails, Zanele leaves for London and the repairs of the technology and personalities become intertwined. The story moves quickly and intricately to a perfect conclusion. A note - at 250 pages, this is more of a wonderful novella than a saga like Aperigon (just to set proper expectations).
It is hard for me to name a writer who captures both physical scenes and complicated human emotions better than McCann. Fennel and Conway play off each other, and both men are viewed in light of brokenness and repair. Since the author is McCann, the novel is full of interesting facts and places: South Africa, free diving, deepsea repair and acting to name a few. As expected, some current topics are covered, such as pollution of the ocean, our complete dependence on technology and obsession with famous people. Alcohol addiction is also a subtle theme, as it is one of the broken things Anthony hopes to fix. I loved the line “One drink is too much and a million is not enough�.
Long after finishing this novel, I will be pondering brokenness and repair of our individual human lives � what we want to fix, what we actually try to fix, what we chose not to fix, and what we cannot fix even when we try.
It took McCann to educate me about the myriad of undersea fiber optic cables that carry the majority of the world’s communication data � all through pulses of light. The narrator, Anthony Fennel is an Irish playwright and journalist, who is at a low point in his life and career. He takes an assignment which will involve writing an article about his experiences on a ship that fixes broken undersea cables. Anthony travels to South Africa, where he meets John Conway, the head of the crew of repair specialists. Anthony spends time with Conway in South Africa (where the ship is docked, waiting for a cable break), where he sees Conway’s superlative ability to deep free dive and also meets Conway’s significant other, Zanele, an actress. While Anthony is a writer at the end of his rope with many broken relationships (and a love of alcohol), he is a straightforward person. Conway is terse, confusing and mysterious. The background is set, a cable breaks, the ship sails, Zanele leaves for London and the repairs of the technology and personalities become intertwined. The story moves quickly and intricately to a perfect conclusion. A note - at 250 pages, this is more of a wonderful novella than a saga like Aperigon (just to set proper expectations).
It is hard for me to name a writer who captures both physical scenes and complicated human emotions better than McCann. Fennel and Conway play off each other, and both men are viewed in light of brokenness and repair. Since the author is McCann, the novel is full of interesting facts and places: South Africa, free diving, deepsea repair and acting to name a few. As expected, some current topics are covered, such as pollution of the ocean, our complete dependence on technology and obsession with famous people. Alcohol addiction is also a subtle theme, as it is one of the broken things Anthony hopes to fix. I loved the line “One drink is too much and a million is not enough�.
Long after finishing this novel, I will be pondering brokenness and repair of our individual human lives � what we want to fix, what we actually try to fix, what we chose not to fix, and what we cannot fix even when we try.
March 3, 2025
Apeirogon by Colum McCann published in 2020 was an unforgettable read - a story about friendship in a divided world.
So a new book was very much welcome- Twist - is very different. Slow, brooding, taut and slightly unsettling.
Anthony Fennell is a writer who cannot surpass a mental block in his creative thinking so takes up the opportunity to travel on the George Lecointe- a boat that travels out in to deep waters to repair damaged fibre optic cables that run along the ocean beds- the true World Wide Web.
The leader of the repair ship is George Conway- an enigmatic man - who is partnered to the equally alluring Zanele- an actress.
As the journey progresses, Fennell is overcome with seasickness and a sense of isolation ; not fully fitting in. Events take a turn when Conway goes missing- Has he accidentally drowned ? Did he take his own life? Has he faked his disappearance ?
It is hard to describe what the true message of the book is- is it a tale of an eco warrior ? Is it the story of a splintered world held together by tiny threads as communication becomes even more fractured?
Much will be written about this novel- this is a highly metaphorical novel . On a personal level, it was challenging to connect or feel warmth towards the key characters as all were elusive and searching for meaning in self identity. A fascinating glimpse into an unknown world
Thought- provoking and crafted by a master. Sadly, it didn't grip as much as hoped.
3..5 out of 5.
So a new book was very much welcome- Twist - is very different. Slow, brooding, taut and slightly unsettling.
Anthony Fennell is a writer who cannot surpass a mental block in his creative thinking so takes up the opportunity to travel on the George Lecointe- a boat that travels out in to deep waters to repair damaged fibre optic cables that run along the ocean beds- the true World Wide Web.
The leader of the repair ship is George Conway- an enigmatic man - who is partnered to the equally alluring Zanele- an actress.
As the journey progresses, Fennell is overcome with seasickness and a sense of isolation ; not fully fitting in. Events take a turn when Conway goes missing- Has he accidentally drowned ? Did he take his own life? Has he faked his disappearance ?
It is hard to describe what the true message of the book is- is it a tale of an eco warrior ? Is it the story of a splintered world held together by tiny threads as communication becomes even more fractured?
Much will be written about this novel- this is a highly metaphorical novel . On a personal level, it was challenging to connect or feel warmth towards the key characters as all were elusive and searching for meaning in self identity. A fascinating glimpse into an unknown world
Thought- provoking and crafted by a master. Sadly, it didn't grip as much as hoped.
3..5 out of 5.
January 21, 2025
Some interesting information about the cables, breaking and fixing them, deep sea diving, Africa, London, and life on a ship. The rest was a slow study in relationships and mental fitness. I really didn’t enjoy the book but can appreciate how others would. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
March 30, 2025
3.5, rounded up
March 15, 2025
Anthony Fennell is suffering from prolonged writers� block, so when a magazine asks him to write an article about how breaks in the underwater cables that carry internet signals are repaired, he takes on the assignment. He is sent to Cape Town where he meets Conway, the man who leads the repair team, and Conway’s partner, Zanele, a theatre actor/director. Fennell muses philosophically on broken relationships while waiting for the call to go aboard to repair the cable.
The metaphors are both thick and shallow in this one � quite an achievement. Laid on with a trowel and yet fading into insubstantiality before our very eyes. The writing is style over substance, and sometimes gets so carried away with the style that it ceases to have any real meaning or conjure up any real image in the reader’s mind.
I stuck it out to past the halfway point, though it was a struggle. At that point I still had no clear idea of the point the book was trying to make. Is it about climate change? Our over-reliance on technology? Relationships? Alcoholism? Mental health? The inability to really know other humans? All of the above? None of the above? Not every book has to have a point, of course, but if there’s no point then there must be a plot and the plot of this one has yet to emerge. I’m afraid I decided to jump overboard. I have no idea, at 54%, what direction we’re heading in and I have little interest in my travelling companions, so I won’t regret not getting to the destination. It probably deserves more, but since I can’t bring myself to finish it, one star is all it gets.
The metaphors are both thick and shallow in this one � quite an achievement. Laid on with a trowel and yet fading into insubstantiality before our very eyes. The writing is style over substance, and sometimes gets so carried away with the style that it ceases to have any real meaning or conjure up any real image in the reader’s mind.
I stuck it out to past the halfway point, though it was a struggle. At that point I still had no clear idea of the point the book was trying to make. Is it about climate change? Our over-reliance on technology? Relationships? Alcoholism? Mental health? The inability to really know other humans? All of the above? None of the above? Not every book has to have a point, of course, but if there’s no point then there must be a plot and the plot of this one has yet to emerge. I’m afraid I decided to jump overboard. I have no idea, at 54%, what direction we’re heading in and I have little interest in my travelling companions, so I won’t regret not getting to the destination. It probably deserves more, but since I can’t bring myself to finish it, one star is all it gets.
March 25, 2025
“All stories are love stories.� Column McCann’s first-person narrator Anthony Fennell tells us in his new novel “Twist�, and indeed this fascinating story of repairing a break in an undersea fiber-optic cable is more about human love with its breaks, snaps, and malfunctions and the repairs, fixes, and cures that may or may not “heal� successfully.
Reader, did you know that there are a multitude of undersea fiber-optic cables that ferry all the information on the planet, and that these regularly break, and special ships are deployed all over the world to repair these breaks and restore communications? Fascinating stuff!
First-person narrator, middle-aged novelist and playwright, Anthony Fennell, is telling us about a profound experience he had while writing an article onboard one of these ships that constantly repair the breaks in the tubes on the ocean floor and the men that work on them.
Fennell is trying to break an alcohol addiction, and to flee broken relationships especially with his only son. The themes of brokenness abound, so much so that this quote will often be used to sum it up: "Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.�
On the coast of Africa while waiting to set out on the repair boat, Fennell meets an enigmatic young man (and fellow Irishman) named John Conway who is the chief engineer on the boat he will soon board. Conway is also an accomplished “free diver�, a person who dives vast depths without breathing equipment. Fascinatingly, they can hold their breath for many minutes! (I did an internet deep dive into this � see what I did there � and some of these divers have recorded more than 20 minutes holding their breath!)
Conway is in love with a South African actress, Zanele, who has recently left him to pursue her acting dreams in London. This relationship rupture causes Conway to break in other ways, and Fennell is there to witness and record it.
“Twist� is captivating, thrilling, shocking, and quite educational!
Many thanks to Random House for an advanced copy of this turbulent and propulsive novel.
Reader, did you know that there are a multitude of undersea fiber-optic cables that ferry all the information on the planet, and that these regularly break, and special ships are deployed all over the world to repair these breaks and restore communications? Fascinating stuff!
First-person narrator, middle-aged novelist and playwright, Anthony Fennell, is telling us about a profound experience he had while writing an article onboard one of these ships that constantly repair the breaks in the tubes on the ocean floor and the men that work on them.
Fennell is trying to break an alcohol addiction, and to flee broken relationships especially with his only son. The themes of brokenness abound, so much so that this quote will often be used to sum it up: "Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.�
On the coast of Africa while waiting to set out on the repair boat, Fennell meets an enigmatic young man (and fellow Irishman) named John Conway who is the chief engineer on the boat he will soon board. Conway is also an accomplished “free diver�, a person who dives vast depths without breathing equipment. Fascinatingly, they can hold their breath for many minutes! (I did an internet deep dive into this � see what I did there � and some of these divers have recorded more than 20 minutes holding their breath!)
Conway is in love with a South African actress, Zanele, who has recently left him to pursue her acting dreams in London. This relationship rupture causes Conway to break in other ways, and Fennell is there to witness and record it.
“Twist� is captivating, thrilling, shocking, and quite educational!
Many thanks to Random House for an advanced copy of this turbulent and propulsive novel.
November 25, 2024
Colum McCann has always been a favorite author of mine. His writing is beautiful. The focus of the book, underwater cabling that traverses the oceans floors to provide internet service worldwide, is fascinating. Unfortunately, as lovely as his writing, I just didn't engage with the story and found it to be quite a slog. I wanted to be more interested in the characters than I was. I just didn't understand Conway or his motivations. 3.5*
February 18, 2025
4-4.25/5
Masterful storytelling, compelling writing, flawed and complex characters, great cadence. Very much an ode to The Heart of Darkness in the digital age. This is likely a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
My only beef is that there’s one scene in particular (a description of a very famous scene from Apocalypse Now) that was flirting with being too on the nose. I’m not sure it was necessary as he had already lead us there emotionally. But still, a small annoyance in an otherwise intriguing, altogether definitely-smarter-than-me novel.
Masterful storytelling, compelling writing, flawed and complex characters, great cadence. Very much an ode to The Heart of Darkness in the digital age. This is likely a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
My only beef is that there’s one scene in particular (a description of a very famous scene from Apocalypse Now) that was flirting with being too on the nose. I’m not sure it was necessary as he had already lead us there emotionally. But still, a small annoyance in an otherwise intriguing, altogether definitely-smarter-than-me novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 6, 2024A truly remarkable novel.
Colum McCann takes the subject of underwater cable repair and builds a tense narrative with deeply real characters. It's a tightly woven novel, but one with enough room for his prose to shine. There is no excess, but there is plenty to chew on and enjoy. It's got that classic feel to it. It feels timeless while being firmly rooted in time, which very few books manage to accomplish. Gatsby for the twenty-first century and for the COVID years.
Colum McCann takes the subject of underwater cable repair and builds a tense narrative with deeply real characters. It's a tightly woven novel, but one with enough room for his prose to shine. There is no excess, but there is plenty to chew on and enjoy. It's got that classic feel to it. It feels timeless while being firmly rooted in time, which very few books manage to accomplish. Gatsby for the twenty-first century and for the COVID years.
February 15, 2025
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is not for everyone and I won't be able to do it justice. A complex, layered, thought-provoking beautifully written novel.
The setting: Anthony Fennell, the narrator, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the story of the fiber-optic underwater cables [and their repair] that carry the world’s information. The repair company, headquartered in Brussels, sends him to the west coast of Africa, where he meets a fellow Irishman, John Conway, the chief of mission on the cable repair ship. The mysterious Conway is a skilled engineer and a freediver who lives with a South African actress, Zanele/Zee and her two children. Zanele leaves with her children to act in a play in London and Conway sets out for a repair. The crew members, distinct and from various countries and diverse cultures, all play a role.
Fennell a [recovering] alcoholic struggles with himself, his life, his path. Conway too has his own struggles. Are they friends? Accomplices? Enemies? Both have faults and flaws. They have a complex relationship because of the boundaries of their assignments.
Much takes place on the ship the George Lecointe, but the last part of the book/mystery is on land--both in Africa and England.
I much learned about cables in the sea and communications and underwater pollution and the beauty of the ocean.
There is a "twist" and drama; and mystery that I had not anticipated. The paradox of connectedness/connectivity and the disconnect and [emotional] isolation.
I found it strange that this is the second forthcoming [new] book in a row where the author's note warns of autocracy! And, of the last three books I read; this is the second that mentions tikkun olam--repairing the world/advocating social justice.
New words: [noted only a few]
takotsubo--broken heart syndrome/stressor of heart muscles
clepsydra--ancient time measuring device worked by flow of water
rutilant--having a reddish glow
Excellent description: corduroy of moving waves
I found this book novel, original, inventive and deep [no pun intended for the depth of water]. And a mystery. Not for everyone. Sometimes a bit bored with the descriptions of the cables and science, which I nonetheless found informative.
Recommend; especially if you like/appreciate McCann.
This book is not for everyone and I won't be able to do it justice. A complex, layered, thought-provoking beautifully written novel.
The setting: Anthony Fennell, the narrator, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the story of the fiber-optic underwater cables [and their repair] that carry the world’s information. The repair company, headquartered in Brussels, sends him to the west coast of Africa, where he meets a fellow Irishman, John Conway, the chief of mission on the cable repair ship. The mysterious Conway is a skilled engineer and a freediver who lives with a South African actress, Zanele/Zee and her two children. Zanele leaves with her children to act in a play in London and Conway sets out for a repair. The crew members, distinct and from various countries and diverse cultures, all play a role.
Fennell a [recovering] alcoholic struggles with himself, his life, his path. Conway too has his own struggles. Are they friends? Accomplices? Enemies? Both have faults and flaws. They have a complex relationship because of the boundaries of their assignments.
Much takes place on the ship the George Lecointe, but the last part of the book/mystery is on land--both in Africa and England.
I much learned about cables in the sea and communications and underwater pollution and the beauty of the ocean.
There is a "twist" and drama; and mystery that I had not anticipated. The paradox of connectedness/connectivity and the disconnect and [emotional] isolation.
I found it strange that this is the second forthcoming [new] book in a row where the author's note warns of autocracy! And, of the last three books I read; this is the second that mentions tikkun olam--repairing the world/advocating social justice.
New words: [noted only a few]
takotsubo--broken heart syndrome/stressor of heart muscles
clepsydra--ancient time measuring device worked by flow of water
rutilant--having a reddish glow
Excellent description: corduroy of moving waves
I found this book novel, original, inventive and deep [no pun intended for the depth of water]. And a mystery. Not for everyone. Sometimes a bit bored with the descriptions of the cables and science, which I nonetheless found informative.
Recommend; especially if you like/appreciate McCann.
April 1, 2025
I would have DNF'd this book if I didn't have to read it for a challenge. It was a challenge alright. This book bored me then confused me then made me angry because I was wasting my time reading it. I couldn't care less about the protagonist. He was a non-entity. The start of Part Two got exciting for two point two seconds and then slacked off again. Don't ask me what the point of the story was, I have no idea. I don't know what I was supposed to be feeling. I couldn't even tell you who this book is for. I'm only grateful it was short.
March 10, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review: Twist was my first book by the author and I've never read anything like it. Overall I found it to be gripping, informational and thought provoking. It did include more interpersonal commentary and family dynamics which I enjoyed and thought was done well. The ending has a massive twist I didn't expect which seems fitting. My only, very mild, complaint, is I wish it had been more about the underwater lines or been more explicit in the synopsis about what it was about. That's a very mild complaint, I overall loved this story, it will stick with me for a long time. Because the ending is so explosive, I think this would make a great bookclub read.
Review: Twist was my first book by the author and I've never read anything like it. Overall I found it to be gripping, informational and thought provoking. It did include more interpersonal commentary and family dynamics which I enjoyed and thought was done well. The ending has a massive twist I didn't expect which seems fitting. My only, very mild, complaint, is I wish it had been more about the underwater lines or been more explicit in the synopsis about what it was about. That's a very mild complaint, I overall loved this story, it will stick with me for a long time. Because the ending is so explosive, I think this would make a great bookclub read.
March 28, 2025
"Twist" von Colum McCann ist ein Roman, der in die Tiefe der menschlichen Psyche blickt. Er sucht nach dem, was uns zu Menschen macht und wirft dabei viele Fragen auf.
Inhaltlich geht es um den Journalisten Fennell, der für eine Reportage an Bord eines Reparaturschiffs geht, das Kabelbrüche in der Tiefsee auspüren und reparieren soll. Fennell setzt sich im Vorhinein mit dem Chef der Reparaturtruppe Conway auseinander, woraufhin sich beide näher kennenlernen. Conway bleibt von Anfang an auf Distanz, möchte nicht zu sehr im Mittelpunkt stehen. Als plötzlich das Internet und der Strom ausfällt ist klar: Das Schiff muss ausrücken und das Kabel reparieren. Auf See beginnt dann die wahre Geschichte des Romans. Denn Fennell beginnt Fragen zu stellen und die Situation auf dem Schiff spitzt sich immer mehr zu bis sie bald schon eskaliert.
Thematisch wird in "Twist" die zwischenmenschliche Verbindung behandelt und wie komplex diese sind, mit der Erkenntnis, dass man einen anderen Menschen nie gänzlich kennen kann, egal wie viel man über diesen Menschen weiß und wie lange man ihn kennt.
Die Verbindung der Menschen wird über das Kabel dargestellt, das über den ganzen Planeten verteilt ist. Das Kabel transportiert all unsere Bilder, unsere Textnachichten, kurz gesagt unsere digitale Verbindung mit den Menschen auf der ganzen Welt. Genauso wie Fennell niemals die komplexe Technik, die in solch einem Kabel steckt, verstehen wird, wird er auch nie die Verbindungen zwischen uns Menschen verstehen.
Nicht so gefallen hat mir allerdings, dass die Geschichte teilweise belanglos wirkte. Manche Handlungsstränge, die aufgegriffen wurden, wurden nicht gut genug ausgearbeitet, um etwas zum Thema des Romans beizutragen.
Das war auch eines der Gründe, warum ich finde, dass dieser Vergleich zwischen dem Kabel und der menschlichen Beziehung nicht gut genug ausgearbeitet wurde. Es blieb eher dem Leser überlassen, diese Verbindung herzustellen und das Thema des Romans herauszukristallisieren. Das kann natürlich beabsichtigt sein aber hier wirkte es so, als wäre es eher der Ungenauigkeit des Autors geschuldet.
Insgesamt entsteht ein unterhaltsamer, gut zu lesender Roman, der unsere zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen auf neue und interessante Art behandelt. Trotz der negativen Kritikpunkte ist "Twist" ein lesenswerter Roman, den ich auf jeden Fall empfehlen kann.
Inhaltlich geht es um den Journalisten Fennell, der für eine Reportage an Bord eines Reparaturschiffs geht, das Kabelbrüche in der Tiefsee auspüren und reparieren soll. Fennell setzt sich im Vorhinein mit dem Chef der Reparaturtruppe Conway auseinander, woraufhin sich beide näher kennenlernen. Conway bleibt von Anfang an auf Distanz, möchte nicht zu sehr im Mittelpunkt stehen. Als plötzlich das Internet und der Strom ausfällt ist klar: Das Schiff muss ausrücken und das Kabel reparieren. Auf See beginnt dann die wahre Geschichte des Romans. Denn Fennell beginnt Fragen zu stellen und die Situation auf dem Schiff spitzt sich immer mehr zu bis sie bald schon eskaliert.
Thematisch wird in "Twist" die zwischenmenschliche Verbindung behandelt und wie komplex diese sind, mit der Erkenntnis, dass man einen anderen Menschen nie gänzlich kennen kann, egal wie viel man über diesen Menschen weiß und wie lange man ihn kennt.
Die Verbindung der Menschen wird über das Kabel dargestellt, das über den ganzen Planeten verteilt ist. Das Kabel transportiert all unsere Bilder, unsere Textnachichten, kurz gesagt unsere digitale Verbindung mit den Menschen auf der ganzen Welt. Genauso wie Fennell niemals die komplexe Technik, die in solch einem Kabel steckt, verstehen wird, wird er auch nie die Verbindungen zwischen uns Menschen verstehen.
Nicht so gefallen hat mir allerdings, dass die Geschichte teilweise belanglos wirkte. Manche Handlungsstränge, die aufgegriffen wurden, wurden nicht gut genug ausgearbeitet, um etwas zum Thema des Romans beizutragen.
Das war auch eines der Gründe, warum ich finde, dass dieser Vergleich zwischen dem Kabel und der menschlichen Beziehung nicht gut genug ausgearbeitet wurde. Es blieb eher dem Leser überlassen, diese Verbindung herzustellen und das Thema des Romans herauszukristallisieren. Das kann natürlich beabsichtigt sein aber hier wirkte es so, als wäre es eher der Ungenauigkeit des Autors geschuldet.
Insgesamt entsteht ein unterhaltsamer, gut zu lesender Roman, der unsere zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen auf neue und interessante Art behandelt. Trotz der negativen Kritikpunkte ist "Twist" ein lesenswerter Roman, den ich auf jeden Fall empfehlen kann.
February 24, 2025
3.5 stars
Many thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this ARC ebook.
A fascinating deep dive into the world of deep sea cables connecting the world
The premise had me hooked, and I was delighted to receive a free review ebook to read. Unfortunately, it’s told in a rather distant third-person narrative, which makes it difficult to connect with any character and the story itself. While the narration is full of beautiful prose, the pacing is a plodder and not at all gripping. For all of that, I did find the information about deep sea data cables both fascinating and scary in how easy they are to damage. Until this book, I’d assumed most of our communications travelled via satellites these days, but—nope—we still rely on cables which run along the sea bed.
Here are some lines that stood out for me �
‘The past is retrievable, yes, but it most certainly cannot be changed.�
And �
‘Just because the truth is ignored doesn’t mean it’s not true.�
And �
‘A new cable would make billions of dollars for its owners. It was also quite possible that the information within was owned or tapped, or both. The old colonialism was dressed up in a tube and it snaked the floors of our unsilent seas.�
And �
‘The days come and go. They bird themselves against the window and end up at our feet, stunned.�
In summary, this is a story about a broken writer, two broken cables, and a broken man who repairs those vital deep sea communications systems. If you like a slow burn with lots of fascinating insights into this technology and a glimpse into the human mind, I’d say give this book a go. For me it gets 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for rating purposes, which is a positive review. (See my notes below.)
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! � Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER � Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! � An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
Many thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this ARC ebook.
A fascinating deep dive into the world of deep sea cables connecting the world
The premise had me hooked, and I was delighted to receive a free review ebook to read. Unfortunately, it’s told in a rather distant third-person narrative, which makes it difficult to connect with any character and the story itself. While the narration is full of beautiful prose, the pacing is a plodder and not at all gripping. For all of that, I did find the information about deep sea data cables both fascinating and scary in how easy they are to damage. Until this book, I’d assumed most of our communications travelled via satellites these days, but—nope—we still rely on cables which run along the sea bed.
Here are some lines that stood out for me �
‘The past is retrievable, yes, but it most certainly cannot be changed.�
And �
‘Just because the truth is ignored doesn’t mean it’s not true.�
And �
‘A new cable would make billions of dollars for its owners. It was also quite possible that the information within was owned or tapped, or both. The old colonialism was dressed up in a tube and it snaked the floors of our unsilent seas.�
And �
‘The days come and go. They bird themselves against the window and end up at our feet, stunned.�
In summary, this is a story about a broken writer, two broken cables, and a broken man who repairs those vital deep sea communications systems. If you like a slow burn with lots of fascinating insights into this technology and a glimpse into the human mind, I’d say give this book a go. For me it gets 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for rating purposes, which is a positive review. (See my notes below.)
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! � Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER � Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! � An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
April 1, 2025
My husband worked for Cable and Wireless for many years and I went on board one of the huge boats that lay the cables over the oceans. So I'm quite fascinated by the undersea cables that carry data around our hyperconnected planet and our dependency on these working cables.
This book is about a ship that sails with a crew up the western coast of Africa to the site of a cable break. The narrator is a journalist on board and there is a great story that unfolds.
There are some excellent things in this novel. The account of the journey and the observations of the work on board the ship, along with the difficulty of their work, at the beauty of the natural world. Its also quite angry at humanity’s capacity to wreck it.
This book is about a ship that sails with a crew up the western coast of Africa to the site of a cable break. The narrator is a journalist on board and there is a great story that unfolds.
There are some excellent things in this novel. The account of the journey and the observations of the work on board the ship, along with the difficulty of their work, at the beauty of the natural world. Its also quite angry at humanity’s capacity to wreck it.
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