Book review: Dear Reader

The Resistance Man
Paul Fournel, Pushkin Press, £10

An elegy to print publishing in decline, told through the eyes
of an ageing book editor and written by a former publisher. The ‘reader’ is an e-reader, publishing’s divider between
the familiar and the futuristic. Elbowing its way in, this technological innovation strikes fear into the paperbound hearts of the older generation but offers new realms of possibility to the industry’s youngest recruits.

This tale is related in the first-person and tinged with soft irony and affection. An interest in publishing isn’t essential, as this poetic, witty narration is as much about the fundamentals of life as it is the struggle between old and new. ★★★

[mrb]

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