I missed the book group discussion, but in answer to some points which had been raised I wrote this:(we had all read the book, so there may be spoilers)I thought the character introductions were very effective. These people have no connection with each other until they end up on the island. We see them getting to know each other, but we already know much more about them, so know when they are putting on an act. Scarlett Thomas does have a sparse style in those character introductions, but I think it changes once they are together because a lot of the interactions between the characters are in the form of conversations and small actions. I like her characters as characters, but didn't particularly like any of them as people and wouldn't want to be stuck on an island with them. All of them are intelligent and none of them are doing much with that intelligence, their lives are quite shallow and pointless. The story is not realistic, but it almost is. Thomas sets it up well, so you can imagine that it could happen. Once we got to see how the characters interacted the pairings were right, but I don't think they are the ones I would have expected from the introductions. I think Bryn is the most adaptable, so if I had to choose one it would be him. The 'manky' teeth would put me off though! The discovery of the basement is a chilling scene. The circumstances are sinister at at the start, then I wondered if it was an elaborate hoax (or reality television show), then the basement scene meant the sinister impression was reinstated. Scarlett Thomas put in the man in the attic at her publishers urging, but she didn't want him to mess up her plot, so she made him irrelevant to it. I quite liked the ambiguous ending. Jamie wanted to do something bold which saved everyone. Perhaps he thought that throwing away the letter was it, as they were developing more sense of purpose and better social skills than any of them had in their lives before the island. They had the ability and resources to be self sufficient, so they could survive if they put their minds to it and worked together, but like most of you I think they would have been found eventually. "The End of Mr Y" is better, but I enjoyed "Bright Young Things" a lot and "PopCo". I didn't enjoy "Our Tragic Universe" so much, although the author does warn us several times that it is a 'storyless story' and it is cleverly done.and the next day this:I thought the characters were all very well drawn and believable. The most interesting theme of the book is the difference between what we know about the characters from their introductions and the way they behave and want to be seen on the island. Anne is even more of a social misfit than the others, but she is completely honest (as someone has already pointed out) so we can trust her. Jamie reveals very little of himself, so he seems less trustworthy than most of the others in some ways. Bryn admits to having broken the law and lying on his application form, Paul admits an intention to commit fraud as an act of economic anarchy, Emily admits to an embarrassing bit of prostitution and Thea to a troubled childhood. Jamie seems nice, but has fantasies only we know about and he is the one who (possibly) sabotages their distress message. Emily and Thea become more similar on the island than they are in the introductions. Emily is more insecure than she appears at first and Thea is less selfless and vulnerable. They do not get on with each other, possibly because they recognise the similarities underneath the images they are projecting. I didn't recognise very many of the cultural references, apart from a few names of bands, but I don't think that matters as I did realise that they were ephemeral pop-culture even when I didn't recognise them. The average group rating was 4.1
The story is about six twenty-something's that are either bored, burned-out or confused about what they should do with their lives now that they are officially adults. A classified ad in the employment section claiming to be looking for 'Bright Young Things' catches each of their eyes and they all apply, although as that is just about all the information on the advert none of them know what they are applying for.Elsewhere in a room a freelancer is working her way through the applications, weeding out those that are written in anything other than blue or black ink, or those that don't include a self sealing stamped addressed envelope. By the end of the day she will have sent out around 6000 application forms of which only the six in the story are selected for interview.But something very unusual happens at the interview, it seems all the candidates are drugged and they wake up to find themselves on a small island with just one house. The house has a bedroom each for them and plenty of supplies but they have no idea why they are there.I have read a couple of books by the author Scarlett Thomas before and really enjoyed them, The End of Mr Y has to be in my top ten list in fact! But on this one I really can't decide if I liked it or not! In fact I was so confused that I read a tonne of other reviews on it to try and help me make up my mind. That didn't help, most other reviewers seemed most disgruntled by the ending which although it surprised me I actually quite liked. And none of them seemed to mention the thing I disliked most. The author spent quite some time writing from each characters point of view as they applied for the advert and continued this when they got to the island. But for some reason I found it hard to keep up with which character was which and which had been doing what before they got to the island.It isn't easy writing a book from six points of view and it was brave of her to give it a go. But then bravery is one of the things I like about her as an author. This time she didn't quite pull it off. As they are all about the same age they needed to be more different from each other to be memorable, yet they were all white and mainly lower middle class with easily interchangeable names like Jamie and Paul or Emily and Anne.Of course, the author might just be a lot cleverer than me (actually she definitely is!) and that in itself might have been some kind of comment. But usually her writing is very accessible and brings me along with her so that I feel just as clever and this time I spent half the book flipping back to find out which one Jamie was again!Still I think it has potential, I think it's worth reading. I also have a sneaking suspicion that she has a sequel up her sleeve which will turn this book from an oddity into a masterpiece!This review first appeared on The BookEaters blog - http://www.thebookeaters.co.uk/bright...
What do You think about Bright Young Things (2012)?
I think I'm falling in love with Scarlett Thomas' books! Bright Young Things was a really surprising read about nothing. No seriously, nothing really happens in the book. The book mainly relies on the characters talking. And they talk about nothing and everything: TV shows, videogames, life, love, sex etc.This sounds boring to you? Then don't read this book.If not, let me tell you, that the characters are in their mid twenties and sort of lost in their own life after graduating from university. They have dead-end jobs and nowhere to go.The story takes place in 1999 and it is addressing the meaninglessness people felt at that time, and still do, I guess.The book is not only dialogue, there's also a story prompting those, but I'm not giving you that, because I loved diving into the book not knowing where it's going. And the writing and topics just keep your eyes glued to the pages.I really found myself in some of their experiences and could probably relate to Anne more than to the others.I clearly need to read more of her writing!
—Wiebke (1book1review)
Erm, ok – if you are dead set on reading this, you may want to know this:First off, feel free to skip the Preface. It’s not just spoiling some of the story, it’s also very tedious. So, save your strength for the long, long, long and very tedious dialogues that are to follow(view spoiler)[ in the never-ending Truth or Dare game (hide spoiler)]
—BrokenTune
Starting a Scarlett Thomas book gives me the same warm glow as putting cold feet into warm slippers, curling up on the settee with a liquer coffee after a hard day or hearing the opening tune of your favourite weekly drama series. Pure pleasure! After 50 plus years of reading 100s if not 1000s of books, I think Scarlett is my favourite author. There is something so comfortable and familiar about her opening sentences; its like meeting an old friend.This book did not disappoint even though it is one of her earlier novels just back in print. Six bright young things apply for a job and end up on a deserted island in an unknown place. As they get to know each other, whiling away time playing truth or dare etc, we get to learn a lot about them. The reason for their abduction remains unclear for much of the book but the story darkens as discoveries are made.I loved it and my only wish know is that the 3 remaining books that I have still to read (the Lilly Pascale series) are reprinted and stacked on shelves in the very near future!
—Helen
