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A review by luluwoohoo
The List by Yomi Adegoke
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The List by Yomi Adegoke
☀️☀️☀️☀️
A cutthroat and thought-provoking page turner on the realities of feminism, cancel culture and the undeniable power of the internet.
The plot is simple: a social media power couple are embroiled after the release of The List, a compilation of UK media's male abusers. The fallout is understandably messy from all sides. The whole narrative depicts the varied shades of gray that will never come clean across various social topics in a snappy and unputdownable way.
I appreciated Adegoke's unflinching perspective of Michael, whose point of view in particular is so uncomfortable to read thanks to his very male ability to excuse any horrible behaviour. Ola's perspective is more relatable and nuanced, but she's far from being painted in black and white. The resulting fallout is not neatly resolved but it also doesn't feel wanting of that - the harsh reality was always the point.
In spotlighting online accusations and cancel culture there are several storylines here, one of which was a grey-area false accusation. This arc in particular was interesting to read about, particularly the fallout from its resolution, which felt painfully real. I didn't find this book to be apologist in nature despite these inclusions; I think ignoring these subplots would have hurt the credibility of the concept.
This was a conflicting but rewarding read that really made me think about my own perspective on the topics at hand. If you like other social commentaries like 'Yellowface' this is another hard hitting title to check out.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
A cutthroat and thought-provoking page turner on the realities of feminism, cancel culture and the undeniable power of the internet.
The plot is simple: a social media power couple are embroiled after the release of The List, a compilation of UK media's male abusers. The fallout is understandably messy from all sides. The whole narrative depicts the varied shades of gray that will never come clean across various social topics in a snappy and unputdownable way.
I appreciated Adegoke's unflinching perspective of Michael, whose point of view in particular is so uncomfortable to read thanks to his very male ability to excuse any horrible behaviour. Ola's perspective is more relatable and nuanced, but she's far from being painted in black and white. The resulting fallout is not neatly resolved but it also doesn't feel wanting of that - the harsh reality was always the point.
In spotlighting online accusations and cancel culture there are several storylines here, one of which was a grey-area false accusation. This arc in particular was interesting to read about, particularly the fallout from its resolution, which felt painfully real. I didn't find this book to be apologist in nature despite these inclusions; I think ignoring these subplots would have hurt the credibility of the concept.
This was a conflicting but rewarding read that really made me think about my own perspective on the topics at hand. If you like other social commentaries like 'Yellowface' this is another hard hitting title to check out.
"If there's one thing Dad taught us - God rest his soul - it's to never underestimate the lengths men will go to maintain a lie," she said. "It's the only time they can multitask!"