Mania by Lionel Shriver

‘Seldom is a book as funny, important and timely … I was laughing out loud at the same time as my blood was running cold’ JOHN CLEESE

‘Viciously funny… an exhilarating satire’ THE TIMES

‘Merciless… a welcome distraction’ ECONOMIST, Best Books of 2024

What if calling someone stupid was illegal?

In a reality not too distant from our own, the worst thing you can call someone is ‘stupid’.

Everyone is equally clever, and discrimination based on intelligence is ‘the last great civil rights fight’. Exams and grades are discarded and you don’t need a qualification to be a doctor.

When best friends Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war, their relationship begins to fracture. And soon, Pearson’s determination to cling onto the ‘old, bigoted way of thinking’ begins to endanger her job, her safety and even her family…

Hilarious, deadpan and scathing, MANIA is a frighteningly plausible glimpse into what the world could become – or is already – from the pen of a master storyteller.

About the Author: Lionel Shriver’s novels include the National Book Award finalist So Much for That, the New York Times bestseller The Post-Birthday World, and the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin. Her journalism has appeared in the Guardian and the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and many other publications. She lives in London and Brooklyn, New York.

27 Mar 2025
 

Mania by Lionel Shriver ISBN 9780008658717