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All Along the Echo
Tony Cooney, a radio talk-show host, takes a road trip across Ireland with his producer, Lou, as part of a publicity stunt organized by a local car dealership. Their aim is to give away their Mazda C3 to one lucky winner, the catch being that it must go to one of the many emigrants who have recently returned home to escape a wave of escalating terror attacks in London. But as they navigate dual carriageways and Holiday Inns, giving airtime and narrative to the great cacophony of voices calling into the show, the car competition transforms into a quest to the very heart of who and what we are...
320 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2022
16 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 11, 2022
Danny Denton’s debut, The Earlie King & the Kid in Yellow, was so good that it instantly made him into an ‘I will read anything this person writes’ author for me, so All Along the Echo was an instant pre-order and a book I started reading the minute I had it in my hands. I was delighted to find the ceaselessly inventive style I loved in Earlie King is present here too: alongside the main narrative there are snippets of other perspectives, transcripts of radio call-ins, and a dialogue between two omniscient (authorial?) voices ‘listening in’ to the protagonists’ adventures. They all rise up out of typographical ‘static’; the effect is probably as close to a fluctuating radio signal as a novel can get.
I mentioned the style first because the plot isn’t the easiest sell; there’s no way to summarise it in a sentence. It loosely follows Tony (a talk-show DJ) and Lou (his producer) on a road trip across Ireland as part of a competition to give away a car. Tony’s marriage is on the rocks and he keeps thinking about an ex who’s recently emailed him; Lou has decided she wants kids and isn’t sure how to tell her girlfriend. Meanwhile, a spate of terrorist attacks in London (dubbed the ‘London Troubles’) have caused thousands of Irish people to return home. The other voices we ‘hear’ include on-air guests and secondary characters, the most notable/prominent being a teenage graffiti artist whose family have lost their house. These interjections are welcome, both because they add colour to the narrative and because they give us a reprieve from Tony and Lou – who are wholly believable but also messy, immature and hard to sympathise with at times, despite the overriding realism and humanity of the story as a whole. Denton’s ear for conversation is impeccable and the awkward/hilarious/poignant phone-ins are a joy to read.
All Along the Echo isn’t another Earlie King: it’s less out-there, more grounded, not trying to do a million things at once, which makes it a more concentrated, finely honed piece of work; but, in exercising some restraint, it centres on themes that I personally find less interesting. Nonetheless it confirms Denton as an incredible prose stylist, an author whose imagination and powers of narrative invention seem boundless.
TinyLetter | Linktree
I mentioned the style first because the plot isn’t the easiest sell; there’s no way to summarise it in a sentence. It loosely follows Tony (a talk-show DJ) and Lou (his producer) on a road trip across Ireland as part of a competition to give away a car. Tony’s marriage is on the rocks and he keeps thinking about an ex who’s recently emailed him; Lou has decided she wants kids and isn’t sure how to tell her girlfriend. Meanwhile, a spate of terrorist attacks in London (dubbed the ‘London Troubles’) have caused thousands of Irish people to return home. The other voices we ‘hear’ include on-air guests and secondary characters, the most notable/prominent being a teenage graffiti artist whose family have lost their house. These interjections are welcome, both because they add colour to the narrative and because they give us a reprieve from Tony and Lou – who are wholly believable but also messy, immature and hard to sympathise with at times, despite the overriding realism and humanity of the story as a whole. Denton’s ear for conversation is impeccable and the awkward/hilarious/poignant phone-ins are a joy to read.
All Along the Echo isn’t another Earlie King: it’s less out-there, more grounded, not trying to do a million things at once, which makes it a more concentrated, finely honed piece of work; but, in exercising some restraint, it centres on themes that I personally find less interesting. Nonetheless it confirms Denton as an incredible prose stylist, an author whose imagination and powers of narrative invention seem boundless.
TinyLetter | Linktree
May 29, 2023
Like many of his fellow Irish writers Danny Denton has a great ear for dialogue. I enjoyed this tale of the trials and tribulations of a radio presenter and his producer. The novel includes plotlines and asides from various other people associated with these 2 main characters.
May 18, 2022
2.5 stars
I received a copy of this book from Atlantic Books in exchange for an honest review.
Set in a not too distant future, All Along the Echo focuses on a radio station in County Cork, Ireland, as radio host Tony and his producer Lou take on a competition arranged by a local car dealership to help an Irish person returning home from London, which has been plagued by terrorist attacks.
I liked the format of this book, and some of the fun inclusions such as the radio interview scripts made the book a fast one to read. I liked the On Air, Off Air sections and how we gradually got to know a little a bit about Tony and Lou, as well as the teenage girl we're also following who is suffering from homelessness and taking it out on the city by tagging/spray-painting.
There's definitely a really lovely feel in this book for how community-focused radio is - and the way that radio shows, and the host/same voice that talks to people every day for years can become a friend, a confidante, a feeling of home. Radio in Ireland is a really strong media format, and I think Danny Denton did such a great job bringing Irish radio to life in this book from the types of people you'd have calling into the shows, to the topics brought up in conversation. Not to mention the slightly egotistical character of Tony who despite being a nice guy, can't help but seeming a bit of a big-head who loves the sound of his own voice now and again!
I didn't quite get exactly what I wanted for this story and I'm not really sure why. I felt like I wanted a bit more on what was happening in London (and creeping into Dublin as evidenced in the last few pages), as well as more of a conclusion on Tony and Lou's individual stories. The omnipresent voices we heard from in between On Air and Off Air didn't do much for me - and I was really disturbed by the one random scene in these parts of a man killing his grandparents. It was very much put in there for shock value. I've read violent things before, but this one was just seemingly out of nowhere and so upsetting for me.
I think people who work in radio would enjoy this one a lot - and I'd love to hear reviews from these people. I think Danny Denton is a really interesting writer, and I think the type of Ireland he always presents is always darker, and slightly twisted yet also very normal all at the same and while this one didn't work for me so much, I'll still keep reading what he writes.
I received a copy of this book from Atlantic Books in exchange for an honest review.
Set in a not too distant future, All Along the Echo focuses on a radio station in County Cork, Ireland, as radio host Tony and his producer Lou take on a competition arranged by a local car dealership to help an Irish person returning home from London, which has been plagued by terrorist attacks.
I liked the format of this book, and some of the fun inclusions such as the radio interview scripts made the book a fast one to read. I liked the On Air, Off Air sections and how we gradually got to know a little a bit about Tony and Lou, as well as the teenage girl we're also following who is suffering from homelessness and taking it out on the city by tagging/spray-painting.
There's definitely a really lovely feel in this book for how community-focused radio is - and the way that radio shows, and the host/same voice that talks to people every day for years can become a friend, a confidante, a feeling of home. Radio in Ireland is a really strong media format, and I think Danny Denton did such a great job bringing Irish radio to life in this book from the types of people you'd have calling into the shows, to the topics brought up in conversation. Not to mention the slightly egotistical character of Tony who despite being a nice guy, can't help but seeming a bit of a big-head who loves the sound of his own voice now and again!
I didn't quite get exactly what I wanted for this story and I'm not really sure why. I felt like I wanted a bit more on what was happening in London (and creeping into Dublin as evidenced in the last few pages), as well as more of a conclusion on Tony and Lou's individual stories. The omnipresent voices we heard from in between On Air and Off Air didn't do much for me - and I was really disturbed by the one random scene in these parts of a man killing his grandparents. It was very much put in there for shock value. I've read violent things before, but this one was just seemingly out of nowhere and so upsetting for me.
I think people who work in radio would enjoy this one a lot - and I'd love to hear reviews from these people. I think Danny Denton is a really interesting writer, and I think the type of Ireland he always presents is always darker, and slightly twisted yet also very normal all at the same and while this one didn't work for me so much, I'll still keep reading what he writes.
January 22, 2023
2.5 stars.
This is a philosophical book at its core that explores the notion of self within the world.
The fundamental message about the world is pessimistic. There is unhappiness at every juncture of this book be it "on air" or "off air"
Tony (the old DJ / Cork Joe Duffy) is unhappy with his age, his hairline, his lost love Lolly, his wife Nuala arguing with him about his absence from the family, and the death of his son Andrew in early age among other things.
Lou (the anxious overthinking producer) is unhappy with her father's drinking, her mother's death from Cancer, her relationship with Marta and how she is so focused on that tabby cat Tabitha, her infidelity (albeit minor infidelity mostly with a white witch), and her unfulfilled desire to have a kid among other things.
Jada (aka AERO - a homeless teenage graffiti artist) is unhappy with her parents being irresponsible, losing her home, what her younger sister Sally has to go through, her school education, and not being heard or seen among other things.
The two voices in the void plus the large head and frail woman in the car are a bit of crowbarred magical realism (it's a trend now) that really adds little more than a chorus to the life is unhappy thrust propounded in waves by the author in this book.
Other than these main voices, we are also bombarded with callers to the radio station telling horrific stories - terminal cancer, fatal car accidents killing young families, surviving terror attacks in London (the guy in the cupboard (two colleagues died in the toilet) plus the woman in the pub (could only save a few before shuttering the pub)) and these stories are juxtaposed with callers talking nonsense and upset about trivialities. This is a clear absurdist message. I'm sure Camus would approve.
There are two references to Wittgenstein in this book. One is not fully accurate, where Tony mentions a philosopher who moved to Connemara (this is Wittgenstein) to work in a hotel. He moved to Connemara for isolation and lived in a cottage owned by the brother of one of his old students Maurice Drury so he could write. He moved to rural Austria after he wrote the Tractatus to teach primary school students for 6 years. The message is a conflation of the two stories and a confusion of the profession Wittgenstein chose. I think this was intended by the author to demonstrate Tony mansplaining to Lou. I'm sure Solnit would approve. The other reference was a quote - the first line from the Tractatus on page 301: "the world is all that is the case". There is also mention of a philosopher in the hotel Lou and Tony stay in (now dead) and we learn Lou studied Philosophy in college (not Psychology - even though the bar announce they are all the same).
Perhaps Denton looked for answers to life in philosophy or rural surroundings. I know I have. Tony and Lou are set to find resolution in Connemara (the home of the philosopher, philosophy talk, and rural life) and instead find a dead end, heavy drinking, and a ditch.
There is a reference to us being 90% microbes and essentially a combination of vibrations and frequencies (radio is used as a metaphor for flux theories of self). I'm sure Heraclitus would approve.
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man"
The book is one big flux only interrupted by the repetitive message below which is in itself a reminder of the passage of time and the repetition of life:
"The pale moon was rising above the green mountain / the sun was declining beneath the blue sea"
I have a nihilistic outlook on life. I see the absurdity Denton depicts. I just found this book unrelentingly pessimistic.
There are also typographical errors. See page 301 as an example: "Tony could say said nothing"
I will read Denton's other work. There is a smart writer here and I empathise with their world view. I would just like a little more sun to counteract the darkness in this book.
This is a philosophical book at its core that explores the notion of self within the world.
The fundamental message about the world is pessimistic. There is unhappiness at every juncture of this book be it "on air" or "off air"
Tony (the old DJ / Cork Joe Duffy) is unhappy with his age, his hairline, his lost love Lolly, his wife Nuala arguing with him about his absence from the family, and the death of his son Andrew in early age among other things.
Lou (the anxious overthinking producer) is unhappy with her father's drinking, her mother's death from Cancer, her relationship with Marta and how she is so focused on that tabby cat Tabitha, her infidelity (albeit minor infidelity mostly with a white witch), and her unfulfilled desire to have a kid among other things.
Jada (aka AERO - a homeless teenage graffiti artist) is unhappy with her parents being irresponsible, losing her home, what her younger sister Sally has to go through, her school education, and not being heard or seen among other things.
The two voices in the void plus the large head and frail woman in the car are a bit of crowbarred magical realism (it's a trend now) that really adds little more than a chorus to the life is unhappy thrust propounded in waves by the author in this book.
Other than these main voices, we are also bombarded with callers to the radio station telling horrific stories - terminal cancer, fatal car accidents killing young families, surviving terror attacks in London (the guy in the cupboard (two colleagues died in the toilet) plus the woman in the pub (could only save a few before shuttering the pub)) and these stories are juxtaposed with callers talking nonsense and upset about trivialities. This is a clear absurdist message. I'm sure Camus would approve.
There are two references to Wittgenstein in this book. One is not fully accurate, where Tony mentions a philosopher who moved to Connemara (this is Wittgenstein) to work in a hotel. He moved to Connemara for isolation and lived in a cottage owned by the brother of one of his old students Maurice Drury so he could write. He moved to rural Austria after he wrote the Tractatus to teach primary school students for 6 years. The message is a conflation of the two stories and a confusion of the profession Wittgenstein chose. I think this was intended by the author to demonstrate Tony mansplaining to Lou. I'm sure Solnit would approve. The other reference was a quote - the first line from the Tractatus on page 301: "the world is all that is the case". There is also mention of a philosopher in the hotel Lou and Tony stay in (now dead) and we learn Lou studied Philosophy in college (not Psychology - even though the bar announce they are all the same).
Perhaps Denton looked for answers to life in philosophy or rural surroundings. I know I have. Tony and Lou are set to find resolution in Connemara (the home of the philosopher, philosophy talk, and rural life) and instead find a dead end, heavy drinking, and a ditch.
There is a reference to us being 90% microbes and essentially a combination of vibrations and frequencies (radio is used as a metaphor for flux theories of self). I'm sure Heraclitus would approve.
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man"
The book is one big flux only interrupted by the repetitive message below which is in itself a reminder of the passage of time and the repetition of life:
"The pale moon was rising above the green mountain / the sun was declining beneath the blue sea"
I have a nihilistic outlook on life. I see the absurdity Denton depicts. I just found this book unrelentingly pessimistic.
There are also typographical errors. See page 301 as an example: "Tony could say said nothing"
I will read Denton's other work. There is a smart writer here and I empathise with their world view. I would just like a little more sun to counteract the darkness in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2024
Sorry, despite some good reviews I couldn't finish this. Banal dialogue undercut with weird dreamlike sequences of nothing in particular. Apparently it's about a guy going through a midlife crisis. That's it, he's still going through it as far as I'm concerned as I didn't get to the end. Not for me anyway.
November 12, 2024
I tried. I don't get it. Maybe it would make more sense as an actual radio play?
August 17, 2024
too validating for my ongoing existential crisis
September 3, 2022
i think someone should adapt this for the stage
June 20, 2023
This was intriguing, but I wish it came together a bit better at the end.
July 17, 2023
this was a very exciting book for a variety of reasons! very experimental format, told through a variety of perspectives with two strange, omnipotent, nameless voices narrating throughout on radio waves (bizarre, i know, not sure how to explain it better you just have to read it!)
basically, this book follows two radio announcers based in cork as they travel through the country to give away a car. the journey represents different things for both of them, and they’re woven beautifully through random radio interviews and memories. i loved how philosophical this book got, and personally, i loved how ambiguous the ending was and how we weren’t given the answers at all (i know that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but i loved it).
one thing, though: there was an long bar scene toward the end of the book that didn’t contribute to the plot much and took up a lot of space where i think other ends could have/should have been tied up. that’s my only complaint. besides that, very thought provoking and just a fun read.
basically, this book follows two radio announcers based in cork as they travel through the country to give away a car. the journey represents different things for both of them, and they’re woven beautifully through random radio interviews and memories. i loved how philosophical this book got, and personally, i loved how ambiguous the ending was and how we weren’t given the answers at all (i know that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but i loved it).
one thing, though: there was an long bar scene toward the end of the book that didn’t contribute to the plot much and took up a lot of space where i think other ends could have/should have been tied up. that’s my only complaint. besides that, very thought provoking and just a fun read.
April 6, 2023
I thought this was excellent. It's structurally unlike anything I've read before, and the traditional prose intercut with snippets of radio show dialogue found in the static served to mirror and amplify the novel's focus on displacement. I didn't always understand what was going on, which I think was the point.
The characters are well-developed and feel real, owing in part to how the artifice of their radio-show speak is regularly stripped away for sections that reveal their inner thoughts. All Along The Echo does an impressive job of exploring both the minutiae of inner life and the the macrocosm of the often grim reality of modern Ireland and, on an even bigger scale, the meanings of life.
Most importantly, it's set in Cork.
The characters are well-developed and feel real, owing in part to how the artifice of their radio-show speak is regularly stripped away for sections that reveal their inner thoughts. All Along The Echo does an impressive job of exploring both the minutiae of inner life and the the macrocosm of the often grim reality of modern Ireland and, on an even bigger scale, the meanings of life.
Most importantly, it's set in Cork.
January 5, 2025
Some of the writing is excellent but I was admittedly lost throughout a lot of the book. I didn’t quite understand the structure or the additional characters (especially the stabbing scene??) that didn’t add much to the overarching narrative. The most interesting part of the book with Tony and Lou’s relationship and their respective reflections on their relationships… but there was no growth in any of them. Overall, this book left me quite confused.
October 1, 2023
Frustrating read. The fragmented style worked in places but was overplayed with not enough of the main OFF Air narrative to hold onto. Plus the ending was just too vague to make any real sense. Still giving it 3 stars because of sections of the writing - when it worked , it really worked. Will look forward to a future novel which hopefully will just be a book not trying so hard to be different.
December 3, 2023
Really good good, quite quirky unusual - radio signals interspersed with the tale of the two protagonists, radio DJ Tony and his producer Lou (Louise) as they travel around the country to give away a free car to returning exiles fleeing terrorist attacks in London.
Recommended
Recommended
January 31, 2023
An engaging addition to writing in which characters explore in order to learn about themselves and the land they cross*. Full of ideas and interesting. *this is not 'Eat Pray Love'.
June 25, 2023
The waft and weave of the snippets of people's lives. Interesting but, for me, not entirely satisfying.
January 1, 2024
Tries to do too much, no resolution to any thread, long and indulgent sections of nothing in particular
October 23, 2024
took me a while to read but enjoyed it by the end!
April 2, 2025
3.5 / 5 stars
Read
August 23, 2024Read about half and couldn’t finish it. Just really hard to follow and dull. Not for me
May 6, 2024
all along the echo by danny delton.
my brain is rattled, i wish i could better explain what this book is about (like what happens in it) l but i genuinely can’t and i think that’s the point. there is no plot we are following two radio show workers the host tony who feels lost in his marriage and is struggling to connect with his wife and kids, and then there is lou radio producer who is convinced that her girlfriend is more preoccupied with their missing cat than her. so when lou and tony are set to go on a week long car competition driving through ireland it can’t come fast enough, there’s a lot on their minds (marriage, relationships, starting a family etc) the trip opens both of their eyes to new experiences and old flames.
i would say above everything this book is a clear love letter to ireland, the way the different towns and cities were described with soo much detail, the colloquial way the characters spoke- especially the people being interviewed on the radio station, it reminded me of being in my aunts car and listening to LBC in the morning (and hearing some of the craziest 😭 stories/ opinions/ debates) it felt real and i loooove when a book feels real. so many different topics are tackled (homelessness, displacement, what it means to “come home”, mental health, the meaning of life etc) i didn’t even care that for the first 50 or so pages i was soooo confused i did briefly think about just giving up because i just didn’t know what the hell was going on but the writing was soooo beautiful i just said fuck it 😭 and kept reading. i’m glad i did so worth it.
it made me think a lot about the idle traveller the book i read on slow travel a lot of what the author was talking about in that book was described in this one and it felt idly comforting to come full circle in this way. i recommend this book to anyone who just wants to get lost in a good book, there’s lots to think about when you put the book down but imo that’s usually a sign of a really good book.
[ tags ; #dannydenton #allalongtheecho #books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ukbooks #bookmory #mayreads #bookcommentary #bookstoread #booksbooksbooks #bookreviewer #reviewofbooks ]
my brain is rattled, i wish i could better explain what this book is about (like what happens in it) l but i genuinely can’t and i think that’s the point. there is no plot we are following two radio show workers the host tony who feels lost in his marriage and is struggling to connect with his wife and kids, and then there is lou radio producer who is convinced that her girlfriend is more preoccupied with their missing cat than her. so when lou and tony are set to go on a week long car competition driving through ireland it can’t come fast enough, there’s a lot on their minds (marriage, relationships, starting a family etc) the trip opens both of their eyes to new experiences and old flames.
i would say above everything this book is a clear love letter to ireland, the way the different towns and cities were described with soo much detail, the colloquial way the characters spoke- especially the people being interviewed on the radio station, it reminded me of being in my aunts car and listening to LBC in the morning (and hearing some of the craziest 😭 stories/ opinions/ debates) it felt real and i loooove when a book feels real. so many different topics are tackled (homelessness, displacement, what it means to “come home”, mental health, the meaning of life etc) i didn’t even care that for the first 50 or so pages i was soooo confused i did briefly think about just giving up because i just didn’t know what the hell was going on but the writing was soooo beautiful i just said fuck it 😭 and kept reading. i’m glad i did so worth it.
it made me think a lot about the idle traveller the book i read on slow travel a lot of what the author was talking about in that book was described in this one and it felt idly comforting to come full circle in this way. i recommend this book to anyone who just wants to get lost in a good book, there’s lots to think about when you put the book down but imo that’s usually a sign of a really good book.
[ tags ; #dannydenton #allalongtheecho #books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ukbooks #bookmory #mayreads #bookcommentary #bookstoread #booksbooksbooks #bookreviewer #reviewofbooks ]
October 15, 2023
I’ve never heard about this book, but I saw it in Dublin and it sounded interesting.
Although the struckture of the book confused me a bit I grew to love it, even though I don’t know if I fully get some of it.
But what really sold me was first the cover, but also characters that has something going on and they don’t know how to deal with it and road trip to figure it out. I would say that it’s quite open ended, and I wouldn’t read this if you don’t like that. Also don’t expect the big plot and answers - a lot is happening but stick with it because it’s Tony and Lou we’re following.
I might be in the minority that actually quite like this book, just what I needed.
Although the struckture of the book confused me a bit I grew to love it, even though I don’t know if I fully get some of it.
But what really sold me was first the cover, but also characters that has something going on and they don’t know how to deal with it and road trip to figure it out. I would say that it’s quite open ended, and I wouldn’t read this if you don’t like that. Also don’t expect the big plot and answers - a lot is happening but stick with it because it’s Tony and Lou we’re following.
I might be in the minority that actually quite like this book, just what I needed.
April 1, 2024
I’ve gone back and changed my rating from a 4 to a 5. Usually, I reserve a 5 for books I consider must reads. This perhaps is not that but its better than 4 because the book continues to engage me well after reading it. The avant-garde approach was not overdone, the characters were likable, and the ending was oddly sudden.
December 19, 2023
Just kinda boring.
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