Summary of Prophet Song
In the dystopian novel “Prophet Song”, the protagonist, Eilish Stack, fights to protect her family in an Ireland ruled by a totalitarian regime that uses emergency powers to suspend civil rights. Her husband is arrested, her son is called up to serve in the army, and when civil war breaks out, Eilish and her remaining children are caught up in the fighting, trapped in their home in Dublin.
Reasons to read Prophet Song
“Prophet Song” is a political novel, set in Dublin in the near future, that describes how an authoritarian far-right regime installs a reign of terror and repression, and how ordinary people struggle with survival. The events depicted in this novel have been experienced by people in other countries and eras, but the setting in contemporary Ireland makes it a particularly unsettling read. “Prophet Song” won the 2023 Booker Prize and became a bestseller both in Ireland and internationally. Paul Lynch is an acclaimed Irish writer, who is also known for his books “The Black Snow” and “Grace”.
Setting: Dublin (Ireland)
Original title: Prophet Song
Year of publication: 2023
Nr of pages: 336
