Publication day is not like giving birth
People often say publication day is like giving birth. Here are five reasons why it’s not:
1. People are unlikely to tell you your baby isn’t as good as your last one.
2. No-one offers diamorphine to help you through it.
3. You don’t immediately lose weight when your book comes out.
4. The genre of your baby is obvious and does not spark heated debate.
5. No-one asks if you’ve already started making your next baby.
Viral’s publication day was a huge buzz, however, thanks to the wonderful Sophie Portas and Hannah Griffiths at Faber and Faber, and the incredible support I received from readers, bloggers, and fellow authors. Here are some of the latest reviews:
The Independent (Shirley Whiteside): “FitzGerald’s depiction of teens on a drink and drugs-fuelled holiday in a notorious party town feels unnervingly close to the mark. FitzGerald has a brisk, no nonsense writing style that works well as she takes a scalpel to a seemingly happy family, exposing its fault lines and petty jealousies. This is a fast-paced tale that never goes quite where you expect. Laced with FitzGerald’s trademark black humour, it is by turns funny and sad, scary and bittersweet.”
The Guardian (John O’Connell): “A nuanced and perceptive look at social media and misogyny.”
The Independent (Katie Guest): “My favourite contender for the inevitable title of ‘the next Gone Girl’.
The Literary Review (Jessica Mann): “An absorbing story based on technology introduced more quickly than society can cope with it. Social life becomes unregulated, with nobody to make rules or enforce them. A dispatch from the front line of contemporary life to enlighten the pre-social-media generation.”
Sunday Mirror (Deirdre O’Brien): “Powerful with fully realised, strong characters.”
Daily Mail: “A fast and well-written thriller with a topical theme, this is a more thoughtful novel than just a mother/daughter/viral sex tape romp.”
The Financial Times (Lydia Winter): “Fast-paced, witty and touching, it also has an unexpected underlying message of empowerment.”
The Scotsman (Emma Hunnisett): “This is a real psychological roller-coaster, dealing with themes of victimisation and vengeance with great subtlety and tenacity. It is enhanced, too, by some pleasingly gritty, choppy dialogue and smatterings of FitzGerald’s signature dark humour, making it highly readable, as well as being an important morality tale for the internet age.”
The Big Issue: “I’m a huge fan of Aussie crime writer Helen FitzGerald, and her next novel sounds like it’s been ripped straight from the headlines of a tabloid newspaper. A brilliantly breakneck and engaging thriller with all FitzGerald’s usual sass and panache, wonderfully realistic female characters full of flaws, muddling through the catastrophe of life as best they can. Equally thrilling and moving.”
The Times Crime Club: “Cautionary tale for the modern age and an excellent entry point for young crime fans.”
Stylist, ‘One of 2016’s New Gone Girls’: “It’s got all the juicy components to keep you hooked: a Magaluf sex tape, a suspicious supporting cast, an angry mother who is also a judge. Read it.”
Tatler: “A compelling and au courant thriller about the internet, shame and retributive justice.
Good Housekeeping: “This is a timely thriller about a leaked sex tape and a Mum’s attempt to hunt down the men who shamed her teenage daughter online.”
SJI Holiday: Author: “Although devastating in parts, it is an expertly written, cautionary tale and it more than deserves to go the way of its title. Fantastic.”
Crimefictionlover: “If you are up for a provocative read, which will fuel book club debates for months to come, this is just the thing.”
Ajoobacats Blog: “I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting, a definite must-read.”
The Crime Warp: “All too chillingly believable. I couldn’t put it down.”
Chick Lit Uncovered: “Explores the darker side to social media, a side in which a drunken mistake can be viewed by everyone within minutes…”
Snazzy Books: “A shocking and very topical novel that really made me think about the effect that the internet, and today’s ‘instant share’ culture has on society.”
Random Things Through my Letterbox (Anne Carter): “A roller coaster of a ride. It’s a portrait of a family, it’s a documentary about the power of social media and it’s blisteringly good. Revenge and tragedy, self-discovery, bravado and vulnerabilities, all of these and so much more. I have huge respect for Helen Fitzgerald’s writing.”
Read Rate Review: “Anyone who has ever filmed random events with or without permission, used social media and posted footage to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc., should read this book – and more importantly take note of the message!”
Celeste Loves Books: “I can see this book being on many peoples sunloungers whilst abroad this Summer.”
The Left Room (Steve Mosby): “From its attention-grabbing first line, through a story drawn straight from the headlines, it’s a novel that plays to all of FitzGerald’s strengths, and which is engaging and charming to the very end. Stylishly written, this is an incredibly funny novel, and ultimately a very touching one. That first sentence is certainly memorable – I’ll leave it to you to discover it – but it’s a testament to the strengths of the story in between that the last sentence, beautifully judged, is the one that will stay with you.”
And here are a couple of articles:
The Big Issue North: Q and A
Sainsbury’s Blog: On Blended Families
You can buy Viral at bookdepository here, amazon.co.uk here, and Sainsbury’s here
Helen FitzGerald 