False Idols

Niamh O’Reilly reads the brand-new novel, Idol by Louise O’Neill which peels back the curtain on the power of social media and how it affects our perception of the truth.

Who among us hasn’t spent an obscene number of hours pouring over the endless parade of perfection on social media, latching onto a constructed version of life we’re often sold as reality?

Most of us have our very own social media idols we buy into and raise up to extraordinary heights. These are the ones we can believe in and identify with.

These are the ones who make us feel ‘seen.’ But in Idol, Louise O’Neill’s superb new novel, that very idea is cleverly explored and turned not just on its head, but inside out for the world to see.

Anyone familiar with O’Neill’s critically acclaimed previous works such as, Asking For It (2015) or After the Silence (2020) will know she has the remarkable talent of tackling taboo subjects and turning them into thoroughly compelling novels. Idol not only delivers on that winning formula, but it takes it to new levels, as Louise cleverly deconstructs the idea of truth and what it means to each of us in the era of social media, without being preachy.

Idol takes us right into that world, the power it holds in society and the heroes who populate it. The story unfolds over two timelines. We first meet Samantha Miller in the present day as she launches her new book Chaste to her followers, whom she calls “her girls”. Miller is the epitome of the ultra-successful influencer, who’s channelled her brand into a social media empire with over three million followers. O’Neill paints Miller as the ultimate wellbeing and style guru (think Goop meets Sammi Jefcoate), telling “her girls” how to live their lives, how to find happiness, how to speak their truth… how to think. She’s become an idol to her adoring followers and exists right at the top of that perfect pedestal. She understands their pain and struggles because she’s gone through traumas herself. Determined to deepen that connection further and obsessed with the idea of speaking her truth, Sam writes an essay for a magazine called Blackout detailing a sexual encounter she had with her female best friend from her teenage years, Lisa, proclaiming it as an awakening. It’s something she’s never shared before and the essay goes viral. Sam’s happy with the response of course, as it all adds to her growing profile, however an email soon comes in from her friend Lisa, who insists she doesn’t remember the encounter that way and that in fact it was something much darker. But who gets to speak their truth and who gets silenced?

The second timeline is a flashback to the late 90s, early noughties when Sam was in high school. Here we get an insight into her life and her friendship with Lisa.

It’s a fascinating construct that not only looks at the power wielded by social media stars, but by the fans themselves. It begs questions about social media pile-ons and the very real effect of cancel culture hashtags that play out like an episode of Black Mirror, cancelling figures at will. It will leave you questioning everything you see online. These are things we already know on some level. We know the perfect grey interior you see from your favourite influencer is probably not representative of their entire home or the mess in the corner off camera, but we don’t really care about that. It’s not what we came for. We go back time and again for a particular version of the truth.

Idol by Louise O’Neill is published by Bantam Press €14.99.

But where does the truth lie? It’s at the very heart of this compelling book that gets you right from the off and doesn’t let go right until that very last line.

It’s an absolute belter of an ending that will have your jaw on the floor.