“Exciting Times” by Naoise Dolan

Welcome to my 1st book review! This novel cleverly encapsulates the modern struggles with love, technology and politics, which are all interwoven in young people's relationships.

The novel is written from the perspective of Ava, a young Dubliner, who is unsure what to do with her life and so goes to Hong Kong teaching English. There she befriends a banker Julian, and the two begin an unhealthy yet witty and sarcastic relationship. When Julian leaves on a business trip, Ava chances upon Edith, and the two begin a relationship. Suddenly Ava finds herself caught up between two relationships, with neither partner aware that the other exists. Can she continue lying to Julian and Edith? Who will she choose?

“I thought that if i let anyone in, they’d find out what was broken about me. And then not only would they know, i'd know too.”

Summary review:

Exciting Times was a thoroughly enjoyable read, although I felt some aspects were underwhelming, which held it back. However, I found it hard to put the book down sometimes, which can only be a good thing! If you've never said a bad word about anyone, you will probably find it difficult to relate to Ava's chaotic internal monologue and therefore struggle to read the novel and enjoy it. However, for those of us that secretly can be very mean, the wit, humour and relatability shines through. I would also recommend this book for a younger audience, who are very familiar with the workings of social media and the rules of modern texting, as this might be lost on older generations.

Rating 3.5/5

An Indepth Look: Spoilers Below!

Dolan does a remarkable job of bringing Ava's determination to be detatched to life. Throughout the novel, we are granted no perspective other than Ava's. Her family are mentioned just enough for the reader to know they exist and that she tries to avoid them but we are told next to nothing of her life in Ireland. The same can be said of her flatmates and teaching colleagues, they exist, yet are never explored. Although some readers may find it frustrating that other characters in the novel are hardly fleshed out, I found Ava's inner monologue compelling and realistic. After all, people rarely bother to find out the life stories of everyone they meet. Ava's concern for those around her is just as fleeting as everyone else's. We might like to think we are different, but Dolan masterfully reminds us that we are all are mostly indifferent to those around us. Ultimately, the journey into Ava's thoughts and feelings is hilariously witty, honest and really very mean...

Although I am full of praise for Dolan's realistic perception of modern day relationships, I felt that some aspects were underwhelming. I enjoyed the witty dialogue between Ava and Julian, their toxic back and forth and skewed power dynamic made for interesting reading, but after having read the blurb, I was expecting much more from Ava's relationship with Edith. It claims that Edith 'actually listens to her', but I never felt a strong bond between the two. I felt Edith was quite a two-dimensional character, who preferred to sit on her phone or tablet and then waffle on about feminist and political ideals, as if they are the most imporant characteristics in a partner. What is interesting though is how relevant this perception is in modern society. Although, I must admit, it made a change for Edith to actually follow through on her principles, compared to the rest of the characters, who tended to say one thing and do another.

A classic example in the novel that demonstrates the unwillingness of the characters to put their ideologies into action is from Julian's parents. It seems it was acceptable for his Marxist father, Miles, to compromise with his wife, Florence, on Julian's education, the result being he was sent to Eton. It is only a fleeting conversation in the novel, but it illustrates perfectly the hypocrisy of champagne socialism, a trait that has clearly been passed onto Julian. Ava is as guilty of hypocrisy as both of these characters, she also is a socialist, yet is very happy to live off the wealth and gifts of Julian. Feminism also plays an important role in Ava's inherent hypocrisy. She ponders on whether she is a good feminist as she irons Julian's clothes and makes his lunch in exchange for her lodging in Julian's flat. Although I'd argue it is her choice to take on a domestic role, and that is feminism in action, she places herself in a situation in which she has no power. When she meets Edith, she talks of how she wants to be with her and move out of Julian's flat, yet when it comes down to it she delays and delays until it's too late. I am unsure whether Dolan's purpose was to comment on the implications of hypocrisy in their politics and culture, or she herself is none the wiser, but either way it was an interesting theme to include in the novel.

Technology plays a very imporant role in Dolan's novel and I have to say it was a breath of fresh air. Rarely do I read novels that explain the use of social media in such a relatable and truthful way. Although people might not like to admit it, everyone is guilty of checking who saw their story, or who liked their posts, or posting your own photos and videos to show them exactly how busy you are and that you don't need them. It sounds crazy when you say it out loud, but Dolan has the courage to demonstrate that yes, this generation are all internet sleuths when it comes to interpretting the most trivial aspects of social media. Furthermore, the use of text messages were also very entertaining. The lack of proper grammar and punctuation was horribly relatable and also the need to type many different versions of a text before sending it, or perhaps never sending it all. Again, drafting a million different versions of a message is a crime that everyone has committed in their lives. It is brutally honest and amusing look at the way young people communicate with technology and social media and probably one of the best aspects of the novel.

A theme that cropped up quite frequently in Exciting Times is that of class. Ava constantly judges her own value to whatever company she is in through the lense of class. Personally, I found this incredibly frustrating. Although it is easy to feel a sense of 'imposter' syndrome when surrounded by people of a different, mainly higher, class, it isn't a defining factor of a person's character. Ava seemed to obssess an unhealthy amount over her class and background compared to the company she kept, which I found taxing towards the end of the novel.

One aspect of the novel I greatly enjoyed was based around Ava's job as a TEFL teacher. Although there was a lot of subject specific terminology, like 'defalcatory fricatives', that completely went over my head, and probably many other readers', the differences Ava pointed out between English and Irish accents and dialects was rather amusing, especially if you are familiar with the two accents in your own life. It would have also been interesting for Cantonese to be included more, as the culture of Hong Kong was barely explored. Apart from the odd cafe, there was barely any Cantonese in the novel and Ava tended to only socialse with Westerners, even Edith was very Westernised. The lack of native culture could have been explored more as the novel really could have been set anywhere and it wouldn't have made a difference, but perhaps Dolan was being true to how she spent her time in Hong Kong.

The Ending - BIG SPOILERS

It seems to be a popular trend to leave audiences with an ending that is up for interpretation. While some may enjoy this, it doesn't particularly resonate with me. I felt I had invested a lot in Dolan's characters and sometimes it was hard to put the book down for want of knowing what their next moves were going to be. The book's ending culminated in a very final decision that Ava had to make, one that had been building within the book from the moment Edith stepped in the scene. I was desperate for a concrete ending so I could gain some closure from Ava's chaos. Instead, the open ending left me confused and unsatisfied.

About the Author:

Naoise Dolan shares many similarities with her not so heroic heroine, Ava. She was born in Dublin, Ireland and moved to Singapore and Hong Kong as a TEFL teacher after graduating from Trinity College Dublin. Dolan identifies as queer, an identity which is explored by Ava throughout the novel, and Ava also hints that she experienced homophobic bullying in school, much like Dolan.