“Prophet Song” is the 2023 Booker Prize winner by Irish novelist Paul Lynch. This gem of a novel, described as a “prophetic masterpiece” in the Washington Post, is a dystopian take on modern life. In lyrical prose Lynch slowly reveals a horrific scenario through the experience of his protagonist, Eilish, a scientist and mother of four whose husband, a union organizer, is “disappeared” at the beginning of a totalitarian takeover of the country. Described in the New York Times as coming “at a moment when the fear it addresses is daily in the news,” this novel is not an easy read and yet it is essential. The flow of the narrative revealing the process of Eilish’s awakening to horror as she struggles to care for her young family is deftly handled and riveting.
NOTE: Students are encouraged to read the entire novel before the course begins.
