John Lanchester - The Wall (2/10)

A rather laughable representation of colonialism, The Wall is not just on the nose in its narrative rendition of England but simply an example of poor fiction writing. It is predictable and problematic in the worst ways, and replicates YA tropes more than its borrowings from broader literature. It is most egregiously dull and uninteresting, especially in its characters which fall flat by any definition. Any semblance of a "twist" or subversion of expectations is so ridiculously expected that it borders on parody, but does nothing with this interaction with reader expectation. The characterization of the wall itself is woefully tedious, down to the attempts at creativity with Kavanagh's experience during service. The world building is perhaps even more frustrating, depending on ridiculously straightforward yet unbelievable attempts at making sense of what is simply a poor idea for a novel. The critical attention for this novel only supports the preferential joke that modern fiction criticism has become.