Brainjoy

by Chris Else

This fast-paced literary thriller follows the lives of three characters each trying to survive in the craziness of a city something like your own. Spit is 16 and streetwise, adept at sliding round the welfare system and making a dollar or two where he can. Lavendar, beautiful, groomed to perfection and not about to reveal her age to anyone, is at last making it in the cut-throat world of Image Management. Ratman, poor Ratman, is an idiot savan who can do anything with a computer but has the emotion development of a 12-year-old.All three in their different ways must come to terms with themselves as they face up to the madness that lurks at the heart of the network.

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Mindbait]

I decided to read this after reading the memoir “Laughing at the Dark” by Barbara Else. Various people in her life (her husband, one of her daughters) write and she talked up works by each of them.

I was not keen on this one initially. Else creates his own futuristic world complete with its own patois (much like A Clockwork Orange, or Trainspotting). At first it was a bit grating, and Else’s world (always a risk when trying to guess at the future) already feels dated and a little bit 80s. He did accurately predict one or two things though.

The book seems to find its rhythm a bit more as it goes, or maybe I just acclimatised to the style. Whatever the case it still didn't fully win me over, but did become a bit more enjoyable.