Unforgettable ... The Cité of Divine Power is brought to life with skill ... If the novel sounds relentless, it isn’t. Cécé is a cool, cleareyed narrator, who takes pains not to sensationalize ... Sometimes her restraint makes the reader feel impertinent for drawing conclusions at all ... The novel asks how we bear the things we cannot bear ... Prophète cannot help making us consider what social media does to us all ... That unsparing observation is characteristic of this brave novel — a book that marvels at people who feel entitled to their tears.
Memorably macabre ... Ms. Prophète’s achievement is to make the real and the virtual sides of Célia’s life equally vivid. This is a voice-driven novel, and Aidan Rooney’s terrific translation from the French conveys the heroine’s profound despair and snarky resilience. Célia is opinionated, vulnerable, mordantly funny and often overwhelmed
