The premise of this book instantly drew me in. The idea of a university specifically for “cancelled” (usually disgraced) academics to work, free from the woke agenda, opens up so many avenues and ideas.

This book is satire at its best. The start and end are biting and witty, and no one is safe! As much as the book takes a firmly left-wing standpoint, the author doesn’t shy away from making fun of all aspects of the political spectrum. In particular he pokes fun at performative woke-ness, with the main character’s husband agreeing to go to this university of outcasts, provided that they go vegan to make themselves feel better about it.

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Of course, the reality of an organisation without any kind of code of conduct is a bleak one, and soon our two main characters, Helen and Hew, find themselves morally at odds with each other. While they agree politically on many points, the book does a really good job of exploring how your environment – specifically your social life – affects your politics. Both characters are, in different ways, pushed to extreme ways of thinking, and it’s the point that they stop and draw the line that is the most telling and therefore compelling.

For much of the book Helen is trying to reconcile these two sides of the culture wars (and I’ve never been more convinced of that moniker than immediately after reading this book). I won’t spoil the conclusion the book reaches, but the journey it takes is fascinating. In many ways the political spectrum comes full circle with the figures in this book, and while the dilemmas we face in real life are (probably) not as extreme as in the book, we can still recognise ourselves in what the characters have to think about and consider.

There was excellent narration from Lauren Fortgang, who brilliantly brought Helen to life. I was desperate for any chance to listen to it, I enjoyed the experience so much.

This is a book unlike any other I’ve read, but it’s one that will stick with me for a very long time. I know it won’t be for everyone, but I think the discussion this book can inspire (from lovers and haters of it alike) is almost as interesting as the book itself.

I received a free copy for an honest review.