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Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis

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Ben Elton sure has his finger on the pulse You'll laugh, you'll groan, you'll roll your eyes at the people and situations described here. I think we've all either been or know at least one of the types described here. Whoooo boy. Okay. I have some feelings about this book. So many mixed feelings. I've been thinking about it since I finished it last night and I still can't quite decide how I feel about it so bear with me if this review is a mess.

Identity Crisis by Ben Elton | Waterstones

I would have liked more of a focus to the story, which only really got going in the last 1/4 of the book. Reader’s of Elton’s previous novels will recognise many similar ideas used again in this book, particularly from Dead Famous and Past Mortem This is razor-sharp, relevant and completely on point. From police officers who can't say the right thing when a victim (or is it survivor who died?) is murdered in a park to the hammy old 'lech' of an actor maneuvering to stay relevant (and solvent) as his one man show is vilified... it all hits the mark. You get the picture. This sets the tone for the book. It only gets crazier and more ridiculous from here. But the scary thing is, what Ben Elton describes is so eerily true of the "modern world". Society seems to be divided into very specific boxes based on beliefs/politics/gender/sexuality, and Ben has a great time flogging each of these sacred cows.

Julian and his team of copy-writers had noted that the phrase ‘Lest we forget’ had so far been reserved for fallen soldiers. In minutes they had created a viral post accusing ‘crazed trans multi-cultural zealots’ of claiming that a dead transsexual was as much an English hero as the fighter pilots who had died during the Battle of Britain. Malika’s algorithms then swiftly sent the message to the people most likely to be annoyed by it.” Ben Elton was born on 3 May 1959, in Catford, South London. The youngest of four, he went to Godalming Grammar school, joined amateur dramatic societies and wrote his first play at 15. He wanted to be a stagehand at the local theatre, but instead did A-Level Theatre Studies and studied drama at Manchester University in 1977. I was mildly interested in the Cambridge Analytica-esque company’s storyline and where it was going (nowhere surprising it turns out) and I did want to find out who the social media killer was. But the reveal of the killer’s identity was such a cop-out - an unsatisfying rushed ending to a half-baked plot. That's why the plot all falls apart at the end; there's not a strong enough ideological framework behind it to carry it through to a powerful finish. The book's less terrible than it would be if Elton was a full-on reactionary, but it's probably more boring. I'm finally beginning to say something," says Elton, visibly upset. "I haven't said anything for 30 years. But it's been wearying. It just keeps coming around, every interview – 'So do you feel you've sold out?' Tell me what – apart from that Stewart Lee, whoever he is, thinks I have – might make you ask that?"

Ben Elton: ‘How am I going to say something when you can’t Ben Elton: ‘How am I going to say something when you can’t

Enjoyable commentary on contemporary society and its over the top political correctness, and the ‘me’ generation with their social media obsession. Identity Crisis provoked intense discussion and not a little hilarity at my bookclub. Conceived as a murder mystery/thriller, Elton's latest novel also lampoons the new tribalism, identity politics, left-wing self righteousness and right-wing prejudices, while terrifying the reader with the potential for social media to manipulate our lives and our very thoughts. In the wrong hands (Russian bots, out-of-control algorithms anyone?) Elton seems to suggest with his trademark satirical wit, hashtags could tear the fabric of our society apart. This book is hilarious, sad in parts, and terrifying as it is so easy to see the truth in the humour. On tour again: Ben Elton performs on stage at the Point in Dublin in 1993. His first tour for 15 years tour starts at the Olympia in Dublin. Photograph: Dominic Ledwidge O’Reilly/Getty I listened to this as an audiobook read by the author, and laughed aloud more than once walking along. Ben Elton is a talented narrator (as well as author), bringing his characters to life with ease. It was not at all a trial to keep up with each story and voice. A perfect audio read, really.When I started as a comedian, standup was very, very rough. That was proper scary. If I hadn't had my cornflakes by 8am on the day I was compering at the Comedy Store, there was no way I was going to eat I’ve never given such a low rating to a Ben Elton book but I would’ve given up on it if it wasn’t written by him. I was hoping it was going somewhere, but unfortunately not really. This is, of course, treacherous ground that Elton is treading but I think he strikes just the right notes and the book genuinely asks some fairly sobering questions about the direction our online, social media-driven society is taking. It may upset some, I'd be surprised if it didn't, but I'm more than happy to say I very much enjoyed it from start to finish!



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