Boy vs Reality

In his critically acclaimed debut novel, The Boy in the Suit, James Fox demonstrated his ability to shine an authentic light on the impact of poverty upon children’s lives. Here he takes on no less of an important topic, the toxic nature of social media exposure and the importance of protecting our privacy in an increasingly digital world, and does so with the same remarkable veracity. Ethan Lacey’s parents are influencers, who document their family’s every move in their vlog: Meet the Laceys, where they share their entire life with their million subscribers. According to his dad, everything is content – whether they like it or not, and Ethan certainly does not like it. He suffers from anxiety and has a zip-mouthed toy monster in his pocket called Fidget, to which he feeds his worries on bits of paper. Fidget is overflowing. Behind the scenes, the cracks are beginning to appear in the family’s so-called perfect life. Mum and Dad argue all the time and Dad has taken to sleeping outside in the campervan. His older brother Mason constantly torments him and when he posts an exposé of Ethan’s fears, stolen from Fidget’s mouth, a traumatised Ethan is forced to retaliate with devastating consequences for all the family. Ethan is on a mission to make Mum and Dad realise they need to focus on the real world, not the online one and especially to focus on his beloved Grandad, currently packed off to a care home. Grandad is his one point of solace, and their relationship is wonderfully drawn. In the course of the dramatic reckonings to follow, we discover that Mason has his own problems and we come to understand the complexities of the parents’ feelings. There are no one dimensional villains in this carefully nuanced narrative. This will be a brilliantly engaging read aloud or shared read, prompting discussion of the real worth of online celebrity versus authentic, real experiences. A thoughtful, funny, moving and timely tale sounding a warning bell about the influence of social media.