I am completely perplexed by Idol. This is the first novel of Louise O’Neills that I have read, which features many current, serious and complex issues such as eating disorders, addiction, rape and sexual assault, the MeToo movement and the power of online influencers/gurus. I finished the book in a little over 24 hours however did I enjoy it? I’m really not sure.
Despite the world she “influences” Samantha Miller is personified as a shallow, manipulative liar and quite frankly a narcissist. Whilst I’m sure this is how O’Neill intended her “complex” main character to be seen, I feel that despite all of these clear personality traits that Samantha lacked depth. As a result, I didn’t understand her, despise her or emphasise with her in any way. In truth I didn’t feel I engaged with Samantha or any of the characters.
Arguably I guess this was a page-turner in that I wanted to continue reading to see how the story of Samantha, Josh and Lisa ended however I didn’t find it to be a gripping, emotive or thrilling read. Idol had the potential to be a powerful and strong story, raising awareness of multiple important topics, but for me it just fell a bit flat.
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