Prophet Song is a 2023 dystopian novel by Irish author Paul Lynch, published by Oneworld. The novel depicts the struggles of the Stack family, including Eilish Stack, a mother of four who is trying to save her family as the Republic of Ireland slips into totalitarianism. The narrative is told in an unconventional manner, in which there are no paragraph breaks.
*Background*
Lynch stated that one of the main inspirations for the book was the Syrian Civil War, the ensuing refugee crisis, and the West's indifference to the plight of refugees. Lynch has also cited the German author Hermann Hesse's work as an inspiration to write his first dystopian novel.
*Synopsis*
In a near-future Republic of Ireland, in the wake of a teacher's union strike, the right-wing National Alliance party seizes control of the government. The National Alliance gives the Irish national police (the Garda Síochána) and the judiciary far-reaching powers. The regime also establishes a new secret police force, the Garda National Services Bureau. The new government quickly repeals civil liberties; peaceful protests are broken up, and Irish citizens are arrested without cause and tortured.
Larry Stack, a teacher and trade union leader, is arrested and held without charge while attending a rally. His wife Eilish, who is a scientist, is left to care for their four children and her father who has dementia. Eilish petitions for her husband's release. The state soon descends into civil war, and Irish citizens who are suspected of being part of the resistance are arrested or killed. Eilish struggles to keep her family together during the civil war; she contemplates fleeing the country with her family, possibly joining her sister Áine in Canada.
*Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia*
Content is used partially as it is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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