4 Stars from me
Such a clever little tale and very much ‘of its time’, The List is almost like a warning against the times we live in.
It centers on a couple who are social media darlings and very high profile. Although initially I felt for both Ola and Michael in their respective situations, so much of the time Ola was just a stone-cold bitch and I felt that (ignoring everything else) Michael was jumping through continual and ever-changing hoops in his efforts to ‘prove’ himself to her and I found myself repeatedly urging him to tell her where to stick it!
The book is told from the differing perspectives of each of them and it is impossible to imagine how either of them must feel – with Michael being so publicly named and shamed on the day he starts a new job and Ola being asked to cover an explosive ‘career-making’ story that just happens to include her husband to be.
Who can trust who?
There are some profound and meaningful questions among what seems to otherwise be a gossipy surface-level story with not ever so many likable characters in a murky cesspit of trial by social media judge and jury.
Blurb: ONLINE RUMOURS. REAL LIFE TROUBLE.
Ola Olajide, a high-profile journalist, is marrying the love of her life in one month’s time. Young, beautiful, successful – she and her fiancé Michael seem to have it all.
That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same message:
‘Oh my god, have you seen The List?’
It began as a list of anonymous allegations about abusive men. Now it has been published online. Ola made her name breaking exactly this type of story. She would usually be the first to cover it, calling for the men to be fired. Except today, Michael’s name is on there.
With their future on the line, Ola gives Michael an ultimatum to prove his innocence by their wedding day, but will the truth of what happened change everything for both of them?
Read and Rated 