Compulsively readable, this deeply twisted social commentary confronts the parallels between entertainment, exploitation and survival. The dystopian setting emphasises the sinister atmosphere, with blunt satire holding up a mirror to our appetite for spectacle in a consumerist hellscape. Written with accessible prose but with sharp edges, much like the grasping ambition of the reality TV it portrays.
I’ve always thought that men somehow believe that the art of seduction comes naturally to beautiful women, who delight in deploying these arts to devastate those we encounter. In fact, I had no idea how to seduce a man; I only smiled and asked questions, and sometimes laughed. But the twin aspect of being beautiful is struggling to be taken seriously, and, confusingly, I also addressed that obstacle by smiling and asking questions. Probably I needed new seduction techniques.
