The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon

The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon
Buy The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: General Fiction
Reviewer: Louise Jones
Summary: Can reliance on technology erode language to a point that we can no longer speak for ourselves?
Buy? maybe	Borrow? maybe
Pages: 400	Date: June 2015
Publisher: W & N
ISBN: 9781780225623
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Welcome to the world of the Meme; the next-generation mobile device. Imagine technology so sophisticated that it could anticipate your needs as soon as they come into your mind. Need to get home? Your Meme will hail a cab. Feeling unwell? The Meme has an app for that. Negative thoughts? The Meme will intercede on your behalf to call family and friends or even 911, if needed. Yes, the Meme is a truly indispensable aid that has revolutionised the way that humans communicate. Critics say that it's destroying human language and verbal interaction, but don't worry: the Meme has an app for that too. If you are lost for words, the Word Exchange will supply you with the word you require. For a small fee of course...

The Word Exchange is set in the near future, in a parallel 2016 where the Meme has become fully integrated into the fabric of everyday life. People rely heavily on this new technology and cannot function without it. As predicted by the naysayers, language is slowly dying out, with Meme users checking into the Word Exchange app on an increasingly frequent basis just to get them through basic face-to-face conversations. In the middle of this brave new world, we find Doug Johnson: a pineapple-loving, portly, self-confessed Luddite and wordsmith who works as chief editor at the North American Dictionary of English Language. When Doug goes missing in mysterious circumstances, it is up to his daughter Anana to piece together the clues and work out what has happened. Of course, her journey down the 'rabbit hole' is never going to be straightforward and is complicated by the emergence of the 'word flu' virus that is inexorably spreading through the population.

The story is a clever one, with plenty of twists and turns. The narrative switches between Ana, who is searching for her father, and Bart, a work colleague who is stricken with word-flu and who becomes increasingly incoherent as the story progresses. There are plenty of mysteries for Ana to solve: Where is her father? What is the word-flu? Why are the workers in the dictionary basement burning words in the furnace? The answers lie deeper down the rabbit-hole.

There were lots of things I liked about the story. The main characters were well-written with distinct personality traits: curious Ana, lovestruck geek Bart, enigmatic Dr Thwaite and affable Doug. The style of the book was also quirky, with chapters arranged in alphabetical order, just like a dictionary. The idea of technology taking over our lives to such an extent that we can no longer function without it was an interesting premise, and one that most of us will be able to relate to.

Despite this, the book also had a lot of negative points. The narrative often came across as pretentious and condescending; as if talking down to the reader. The author also chose to include copious footnotes, a bad idea, considering that the text was wordy enough without them. Wading through the footnotes soon became a chore rather than a pleasure. The book itself is not an easy one to read and requires a lot of concentration, particularly in the later chapters when the word-flu distorts normal speech. Here is an example:

Davim from frustration; I couldn’t milk the words. 'I prom-ent-t-s,' I dolk managed.

Now imagine the frustration of reading several chapters written in a similar style. It's quite exhausting.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading The Word Exchange, even though it left me feeling drained after each reading session. Perhaps the book is too clever for its own good and tries to cram too many ideas and concepts between the covers. Those who persist with the book will be rewarded with an intriguing and unique story. However, I feel that many will give up a few chapters in, due to the verbose writing style and copious footnotes. This is one for dedicated readers only.

If you love words, Bookbag recommends Oxford School Dictionary of Word Origins (2009) by John Ayto.

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You can read more book reviews or buy The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon at Amazon.com.

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