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Shitstorm
Dr Walter Turner is a wealthy nobody until he accidentally slays a protected lion on the plains of Africa. This niche fallout spirals out of control when global news agencies latch onto the story and celebrity outcry coupled with public uproar cultivates the perfect social media shitstorm.
Will Dr Walter Turner ride this one out? Will he face a public execution? Will tomorrow’s fresh shitstorm save his pants?
One thing’s certain: no one is coming out of this clean.
Will Dr Walter Turner ride this one out? Will he face a public execution? Will tomorrow’s fresh shitstorm save his pants?
One thing’s certain: no one is coming out of this clean.
- GenresFiction
57 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2018
3 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Fernando Sdrigotti
15 books18 followersFernando Sdrigotti was born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1977.
His fiction and critical writing has appeared widely online and in print, and has been translated into French, Italian, Turkish, Norwegian and Spanish.
He is the author of Dysfunctional Males, Shitstorm, and Grey Tropic among other titles.
He lives in London.
His fiction and critical writing has appeared widely online and in print, and has been translated into French, Italian, Turkish, Norwegian and Spanish.
He is the author of Dysfunctional Males, Shitstorm, and Grey Tropic among other titles.
He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 3, 2019
It's all in the title!
Feels pyramidal in shape as one initial outrage-inducing incident sets off a whole cavalcade of outrage and distraction, which escalates through a "news" cycle of contemporary "topics" until hardly anyone can remember what the hell anything was all about. A Candide-esque picaresque of Internet, a technophobic meditation on the theme of fuckery.
(Kidding!)
Nothing on Twitter seems real. Occasionally its machinations intersect with reality, resulting in the firing or exposing of someone or other, then it's back to neverending drivel. Everyone must be listened to all the time and everyone must agree. It's technopsychofascism! Occasionally some bromide gets thrown in about self-care or empathy—but they always sound like niceties people want to be true, but aren't. Nothing ever got solved by 140 characters, but a whole lot got worse.
The story is written in a kind of narrative summary, from a distance, a reportage of who did what and what was posted, which I felt was a trade off for putting the reader in the scene. Ie, instead of telling the reader what was posted, better to write out the tweets, the news articles, the YouTube comments or whatever it might be. This could've been written as the literary equivalent of that film Missing from last year or those Unfriended films (both of which I enjoyed loads—fight me don't fight me.) But then again, I wouldn't have been able to read it in one sitting.
Definitely check out this and Open Pen's upcoming line of novelettes—an exciting and high quality new adventure from an awesome publisher.
Feels pyramidal in shape as one initial outrage-inducing incident sets off a whole cavalcade of outrage and distraction, which escalates through a "news" cycle of contemporary "topics" until hardly anyone can remember what the hell anything was all about. A Candide-esque picaresque of Internet, a technophobic meditation on the theme of fuckery.
(Kidding!)
Nothing on Twitter seems real. Occasionally its machinations intersect with reality, resulting in the firing or exposing of someone or other, then it's back to neverending drivel. Everyone must be listened to all the time and everyone must agree. It's technopsychofascism! Occasionally some bromide gets thrown in about self-care or empathy—but they always sound like niceties people want to be true, but aren't. Nothing ever got solved by 140 characters, but a whole lot got worse.
The story is written in a kind of narrative summary, from a distance, a reportage of who did what and what was posted, which I felt was a trade off for putting the reader in the scene. Ie, instead of telling the reader what was posted, better to write out the tweets, the news articles, the YouTube comments or whatever it might be. This could've been written as the literary equivalent of that film Missing from last year or those Unfriended films (both of which I enjoyed loads—fight me don't fight me.) But then again, I wouldn't have been able to read it in one sitting.
Definitely check out this and Open Pen's upcoming line of novelettes—an exciting and high quality new adventure from an awesome publisher.
May 13, 2019
Before I start the review, I would like to say that on my copy of Shitstorm, there was a post it note on the cover saying ‘Happy reading, use an umbrella!’ You gotta love indie publishers! Incidentally Open Pen, the publishers of Shitstorm, specialise in novelettes.
Shitstorm is a satire of the highest order;a dentist kills a protected lion called Cyril, which causes the shitstorm of the title: the news is shared on social media, millions of shares, comments and opinions occur, with even the President of the USA offering his view on the matter.
Then a bomb goes off in a Eurostar tunnel and the previous shitstorm is forgotten and social media goes up in arms about this bombing. This time we’ve got theorists, accusations and the metoo movement crops up.
Then that is dispensed when a woman discovers that she can bake bread using a different type of ‘yeast’ thus another shitstorm.
and so on
Sdrigotti captures social media culture perfectly. In fact one would think he’s exaggerating but to be honest these things really do happen to these proportions so although there’s a satirical eye there’s a lot rooted in reality.
The funniest part happens in the end when the lion killer actually misses his fame and tries to get back into the spotlight. Brilliant!
For a novelette Shitstorm packs the sort of punch that will leave you with a black eye, smashed teeth and a flattened nose. So yes, do bring that umbrella, preferably the heavy duty variety because this shitstorm is going to be a beast.
Shitstorm is a satire of the highest order;a dentist kills a protected lion called Cyril, which causes the shitstorm of the title: the news is shared on social media, millions of shares, comments and opinions occur, with even the President of the USA offering his view on the matter.
Then a bomb goes off in a Eurostar tunnel and the previous shitstorm is forgotten and social media goes up in arms about this bombing. This time we’ve got theorists, accusations and the metoo movement crops up.
Then that is dispensed when a woman discovers that she can bake bread using a different type of ‘yeast’ thus another shitstorm.
and so on
Sdrigotti captures social media culture perfectly. In fact one would think he’s exaggerating but to be honest these things really do happen to these proportions so although there’s a satirical eye there’s a lot rooted in reality.
The funniest part happens in the end when the lion killer actually misses his fame and tries to get back into the spotlight. Brilliant!
For a novelette Shitstorm packs the sort of punch that will leave you with a black eye, smashed teeth and a flattened nose. So yes, do bring that umbrella, preferably the heavy duty variety because this shitstorm is going to be a beast.
April 4, 2019
Shitstorm, by Fernando Sdrigotti, is the first in a series of pocket sized novelettes from Open Pen. It offers a wickedly entertaining take-down of contemporary attention spans and media fuelling of public outrage. Although a work of fiction it is built around actual events and the associated input from bizarrely popular public commentators. As well as being witty this story is vexingly accurate in its observations.
The opening sequence tells the tale of an American dentist who travels to Zimbabwe to kill animals for his own skewed pleasure. He ends up causing the death of a protected lion named Cyril who was much loved by wealthy celebrities. Newspapers and social media soon pick up the story and the hunter becomes prey. Hashtags trend and column inches fill with barely considered click bait opinions. A shitstorm is generated.
The dentist and his family receive death threats and require relocation and police protection.
“So maybe it was about his stupidity, maybe it always boils down to people doing stupid things, being incredibly stupid all the time, or just once, being stupid at the wrong moment. And our never-ending hunger for content.”
The outrage goes on for days, building momentum, airtime and petitions, until a bomb goes off in the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International. The President of the United States of America uses this latest tragedy to spread his message of hatred and fear of Islam. The dentist is forgotten as commentators turn their attention to garnering supporters for whatever message they wish to peddle.
“Some of us have changed our avators to one with the Union Jack or a photo of Big Ben while others have chosen a black square while others did nothing. Many of us have announced ourselves safe over Facebook while others have articulated in the strongest terms that we are against doing this, in order not to play at the hands of the terrorists, whoever these might be. And of course all of us are now policing people’s reactions to an atrocity, as is the tradition these days.”
A mosque in Birmingham is petrol bombed. A driver attempts to run over a group of young Muslim girls in Milton Keynes. Then a blogger from Archway goes viral after news breaks that she is making bread from her own vaginal yeast and selling it.
“now we can all stop thinking about bombs for a while”
And so it goes on: the patriarchy, Holocaust, transphobia, terrorism, conspiracy theories, the President of the United States of America accused of sexual harassment – there is always another shitstorm with its requisite opinion pieces in newspapers and on social media. Judgements are quickly made, written about and shared. Boycotts of companies are supported by people who never bought from them anyway. Insults are exchanged when points of view are not openly agreed with. Then everyone moves on to the next happening.
The denouement of this little tale is neatly executed by looking at what happens to those in the eye of the storm after public attention diverts from them. I was amused by the addition of a Russian connection.
In fact I was wryly amused by this entire book and its depiction of how easily so many are being manipulated. Wanting change in this world is understandable, armchair activism smugly comforting, but proper understanding of issues and their wider repercussions is vanishingly rare.
An intelligent and quirky little book that may (or may not) make readers reconsider their reaction to whatever shitstorm comes next. Astute and entertaining, but also important in its cogency, this is a recommended read.
The opening sequence tells the tale of an American dentist who travels to Zimbabwe to kill animals for his own skewed pleasure. He ends up causing the death of a protected lion named Cyril who was much loved by wealthy celebrities. Newspapers and social media soon pick up the story and the hunter becomes prey. Hashtags trend and column inches fill with barely considered click bait opinions. A shitstorm is generated.
The dentist and his family receive death threats and require relocation and police protection.
“So maybe it was about his stupidity, maybe it always boils down to people doing stupid things, being incredibly stupid all the time, or just once, being stupid at the wrong moment. And our never-ending hunger for content.”
The outrage goes on for days, building momentum, airtime and petitions, until a bomb goes off in the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International. The President of the United States of America uses this latest tragedy to spread his message of hatred and fear of Islam. The dentist is forgotten as commentators turn their attention to garnering supporters for whatever message they wish to peddle.
“Some of us have changed our avators to one with the Union Jack or a photo of Big Ben while others have chosen a black square while others did nothing. Many of us have announced ourselves safe over Facebook while others have articulated in the strongest terms that we are against doing this, in order not to play at the hands of the terrorists, whoever these might be. And of course all of us are now policing people’s reactions to an atrocity, as is the tradition these days.”
A mosque in Birmingham is petrol bombed. A driver attempts to run over a group of young Muslim girls in Milton Keynes. Then a blogger from Archway goes viral after news breaks that she is making bread from her own vaginal yeast and selling it.
“now we can all stop thinking about bombs for a while”
And so it goes on: the patriarchy, Holocaust, transphobia, terrorism, conspiracy theories, the President of the United States of America accused of sexual harassment – there is always another shitstorm with its requisite opinion pieces in newspapers and on social media. Judgements are quickly made, written about and shared. Boycotts of companies are supported by people who never bought from them anyway. Insults are exchanged when points of view are not openly agreed with. Then everyone moves on to the next happening.
The denouement of this little tale is neatly executed by looking at what happens to those in the eye of the storm after public attention diverts from them. I was amused by the addition of a Russian connection.
In fact I was wryly amused by this entire book and its depiction of how easily so many are being manipulated. Wanting change in this world is understandable, armchair activism smugly comforting, but proper understanding of issues and their wider repercussions is vanishingly rare.
An intelligent and quirky little book that may (or may not) make readers reconsider their reaction to whatever shitstorm comes next. Astute and entertaining, but also important in its cogency, this is a recommended read.
January 4, 2019
Very short, funny and barbed social commentary. More like a long Twitter rant about the dangers of social media, but great fun to read. Starts off as non-fiction, but then you realise that you are in an alternative universe where retribution still does exist.
December 28, 2018
“They demand everyone burns in hell. They demand to burn in hell as well.” (42)
“Shitstorm” achieves everything it aims for. The dispassionate tone relegates everything that happens, each diversion and tragedy and interaction, to another triviality in the series. It’s a perfect way to illustrate the life cycle of a scandal, emphasized by the way the tone gains a mercilessly precise focus when talking about the dentist. And the course that Sdrigotti takes to get away from Dr Turner and, eventually, back to him is an unhurried maze. The effect of the same impartial tone for so long is exhausting, achieving the same effect as a few hours on Twitter but with much more reward. Sdrigotti writes a tidy nihilist tale.
“But soon it became clear even to him that the ordeal would have little significance when considered as just one episode in his life—it would be left behind sooner or later—it would stop mattering.” (56)
“Shitstorm” achieves everything it aims for. The dispassionate tone relegates everything that happens, each diversion and tragedy and interaction, to another triviality in the series. It’s a perfect way to illustrate the life cycle of a scandal, emphasized by the way the tone gains a mercilessly precise focus when talking about the dentist. And the course that Sdrigotti takes to get away from Dr Turner and, eventually, back to him is an unhurried maze. The effect of the same impartial tone for so long is exhausting, achieving the same effect as a few hours on Twitter but with much more reward. Sdrigotti writes a tidy nihilist tale.
“But soon it became clear even to him that the ordeal would have little significance when considered as just one episode in his life—it would be left behind sooner or later—it would stop mattering.” (56)
December 15, 2018
This was on course for a 4 star review but got a bit confused at the end. It starts off as a sort of snowballing description of a series of Internet controversies surrounding real-world events. It's very entertaining if - like me - you're a twitter addict, and almost totally baffling if you're not. . In the last ten pages, though, it returns to the real world and imagines a future for one of the characters and that didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. It's a short book but I'd have liked it better if it had been 10 pages shorter, or stuck to extrapolating that future life in a way that was more in keeping with the rest of the book.
December 6, 2018
This novella is great. So dripping in cynicism that it went all curly when I put it in the airing cupboard. It has a number of expertly-crafted lines, and it entertains while not trying to do too much.
Thoroughly recommended. Part Hemingway's "The short happy life of Francis Macomber" and part, uhhhhh, something else. Dissects the current social media landscape without being ranty, and offers insightful existential commentary that is both witty and hideously relatable and accurate.
Buy it and support a small press.
Thoroughly recommended. Part Hemingway's "The short happy life of Francis Macomber" and part, uhhhhh, something else. Dissects the current social media landscape without being ranty, and offers insightful existential commentary that is both witty and hideously relatable and accurate.
Buy it and support a small press.
Want to read
August 5, 2019For a while you couldn't open a social media account without seeing this Book. It tainted if for me, for me, for me. But I came around and just read the short book and found it pleasant. I get the feeling, and this is a riff, I get the feeling Sdrigotti hates to read, and I can feel it transpire in the work. As sentences that would, if let's say written by a Dalkey Archive Author, as a random example, they would have been a little more stylised in places, perhaps certain words would be longer and more exploratative, not that long equates to smarter, just a bit tidier around the edges somehow. Perhaps it is that Sdrigotti, if he wouldn't mind a statement that is obvious, is not an English writer writing in English. But an Argentine writer that has clearly mastered the language, but there's still remnants of things I would imagine Zadie Smith or so wouldn't really say... Perhaps read it for yourself. Some lines were great though. Quorn rope being one of them. Very funny and succint. Hemingway esque...
September 4, 2022
the titular shitstorm is a breathless recitation of the controversy of 20__ surrounding the dentist and Cecil the Lion, and builds outward into various controversies and hot takes on those controversies and the responses to the hot takes, creating a realistic mimicry of the news cycle as is depicted by the news which now moves at the speed of the internet which doesn't take time to contextualize, confirm, or even really think before reacting before recycling the whole same set of emotions on an entirely new thing that's happening, all of which proceeds without even tapping the foot on the brakes. and then we return to a more bodily place, with the dentist removed from the controversy, having survived it in a speculative future. and then: the shitstorm. this is a good book, dense for being so slight and alternately funny and exasperating.
July 8, 2021
Sdrigotti's
Shitstorm
premise sold me right away: per title, it focuses on the cycles of internet shitstorms, fueled by the ever-heated conversation in media. It packs a biting commentary on mob mentality pervasive in online space. Its observation hits too close to home: I find myself cringing as it is too hilariously relatable. The way it depicts collective consciousness through "collective I" amidst the shitstorm especially intrigues me.
Yet I find the last 32 pages to be tonally discordant with the rest of the book as it shifted focus from the collective stream towards the individual. I don't know if I necessarily love the book—it's complicated!—but I do know that this book leaves me pondering. 3.5/5 stars.
Yet I find the last 32 pages to be tonally discordant with the rest of the book as it shifted focus from the collective stream towards the individual. I don't know if I necessarily love the book—it's complicated!—but I do know that this book leaves me pondering. 3.5/5 stars.
February 10, 2019
Fernando Sdrigotti has penned a thoroughly enjoyable satirical rant berating social media and the short attention spans of its fickle readers. Closely parodying recent ‘shitstorms’, the story took me on a journey from headline news to new scandalous headline news with wry commentary and sharp observations. The tale of the Lion-hunting dentist opens and closes the narrative, his fate wrapping up the tale in a fittingly blunt manner.
This novelette is crisp, clever and thought-provoking. The writing is superficially humorous the undertone certainly isn’t. Social media has a lot to answer for.
This novelette is crisp, clever and thought-provoking. The writing is superficially humorous the undertone certainly isn’t. Social media has a lot to answer for.
January 2, 2020
A dazzling, powerful fable for our current era of fast-moving digital news, inane opinion pieces, poisonous social media and political (in)correctness gone normal, concluding quite beautifully with a grimly funny finale. It’s all shot through with ferocious intellect, postmodern self-awareness and the blackest sense of humour.
August 22, 2019
Good little book. Story starts and ends in traditional fashion and the middle spins about with meditations on various shitstorms.
February 12, 2021
A bitingly contemporary reflection on online commentary and the news cycle from an author since picked up for a full collection by Influx.
July 21, 2024
Good enough that I immediately bought a book of short stories by the same author. The overwhelming chaos of modern life captured neatly in a short novella.
November 12, 2018
Shitstorm was a joy to work on, and from manuscript one of the funniest, perceptive reads I've had in some time.
April 27, 2021
A quick and comical read. Shitstorm moves through the major news events of the year and embodies the sense of disorder that’s generated by a constant stream of Twitter scandals and news headlines.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews