The Echo Chamber by John Boyne

I say this often enough, and most of the time, the emphasis is clear, but this time around, I need to iterate how that book should not have worked for me. For fear of sounding like one of the Cleverly family dissected within its pages, I wrote and deleted yet another sentence starting with ‘I’.
The odd characters that comprise the Cleverly family are not likeable in the least. Some of them have vague moments where they could be classified under an average person, but for the most part, they are atrocious in their self-love and their understanding of themselves. There have been numerous times I have found it hard to finish a book or favourably view one if I cannot find it in me to empathize with anyone in the book. This time around, the satire had me gasping at how much I was enjoying the read.
This is not a complicated narrative, except for maybe the dancer who appeared in way too many segues. The Cleverly family are rich, famous and each member has a way to pass their day to their satisfaction. It would be a disservice to the book to elaborate on anyone’s predilections. It was the highlight of the book to walk through their chaotic minds. Each one has a unique voice, even if they have similar failings to the point of echoing each other’s baser sentiments.
Although I have heard of the author before, this is the first of his books that I have had the opportunity to read. If he could turn such annoying people into a delightful (if even a little introspective) read, I look forward to his more popular books. I highly recommend this to fans of satire.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.