How do you satirise a self-satirising society? Jordan Prosser gives it a go
In Blue Giant, a reality TV trip-to-Mars novel, Jordan Prosser proves he’s a dazzlingly brilliant wordsmith – but is he too clever by half?
Reading a book review that begins like this is utterly appalling. Abby Horne, the 30-something main character in Jordan Prosser's latest novel Blue Giant, urgently requires a good hangover cure. She has gone days without pooping, and her nightly binge drinking of Yellowtail Cabernet Sauvignon is not helping her brain function. The book is a satire of 21st-century excess, a blend of comedy, horror, and outlandishness.
It's comparable to a love letter penned by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Chuck Palahniuk, set next to Martin Amis in a shared apartment owned by a distant cousin of Thomas Pynchon during Australia's recent bushfires.
The novel is funny, foreboding, and outrageous, but only to the extent that our current, meme-filled world is. If you're not both amused and horrified by Jeff Bezos' space arrival in boots emblazoned with "Gradatim Ferociter" or Elon Musk's government slashing with a chainsaw, you might not enjoy this romp. The plot starts with Norwegian billionaire Tor Skovgaard seeking volunteers for a one-way trip to Mars.
Abby Horne, once a fashion hopeful, decides to train for the mission, aided by her friend Niki and fellow contestant Oscar. The characters are flat by design, serving as avatars for millennial anxieties and maladies brought on by excessive screen time.
Prosser's writing is stylistically impressive, with witty similes and metaphors. He plots cleverly and tightly, introducing seemingly insignificant details that become relevant later. However, the challenge Prosser faces is how to satirize a society that is intrinsically self-satirizing. The book's targets – celebrity entrepreneurs, hipsters, and social media exhibitionists – have already used up all potential punchlines.
They have become self-aware, leaving no room for shame or humiliation. Prosser's wit is spot-on, but at times he may be too clever for his own good.
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