‘So far, twenty-three thousand and ninety six people have seen me online. They include my mother, my father, my little sister, my grandmother, my other grandmother, my grandfather, my boss, my sixth year Biology teacher and my boyfriend James.’
This is the opening line of Helen Fitzgerald’s eleventh novel and sets the tone for a modern psychological thriller about families, moral dilemmas and the power of the internet.
Viral follows the story of crazy and unreliable teenager Leah and her adopted sister Su, who head off on holiday to Magaluf to celebrate their A-levels and when a video of normally straight-laced Su performing sex acts in a nightclub appears on the internet and goes viral, she disappears, forcing her mother (a judge) to get involved.
The author’s depiction of the notorious party town feels very realistic and her no-nonsense writing style frames this story about lies, vengeance and family loyalties well.
TV rights to the book have already been snapped up by Kudos, the production company behind Broadchurch.
