Do you ever think about how we can communicate electronically - what’s really involved? I don’t usually - but this book certainly has me thinking about it more. About the very thin cables along the bottom of the ocean that are critical to our communication. And a world I knew nothing about - the ships and crews who go out to repair when one of those cables breaks.

I enjoyed learning about this new world but there were parts of the story that didn’t work for me. A lot of foreshadowing that didn’t quite pay off in ways that felt fully formed. Sometimes the story got a little bogged down in the writing. I am still glad I read it but don’t think this is one I would reread. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book.

I picked this up because the idea of building an exciting plot around undersea internet cables appealed, and the execution is pretty good too.

The first-person narrator is an Irish journalist hoping to write an interesting story for a magazine by joining the crew of a South-African internet cable repair ship. Upon arrival in Cape Town, the journalist becomes obsessed by the elusive and phlegmatic mission chief Conway and his gorgeous partner Zanele. Then heavy rainfall in the Congo damages a cable off its coast leaving much of South-West Africa without internet and the ship sets off to find the break.

As the novel starts going back and forth in time, it becomes clear something has gone wrong on the mission.

I had slight problems with the novel, in particular the journalist's obsession, which pretty much drives the plot - it was not entirely clear why Conway and Zanele are so instantly mindblowing.

I also think more could have been done from a literary perspective with the fascinating premise. There are parallels with Apocalypse Now, Great Gatsby, and I am sure I have missed more.

It also felt as though McCann had been aboard a ship for his research but not on an actual mission...

Despite all this, it's still a well-paced story on an interesting subject, so 3.5 rounded up.

This is really beautiful writing and I think this book would make a great read for a book club. There were definitely aspects I would’ve loved to discuss with others. The writing is deep, and by that I mean that it went a bit over my head at times. I think I missed nuggets that the author left for the reader to discover. But, even so, I really liked this. I thought that the technical aspects of the underwater cables and their repair absolutely fascinating. And the characters were written with such depth and care.
The author gives us just enough to keep the reader interested but also leaves us wanting more.

I absolutely recommend this book!

The book sounded super exciting and honestly... it was a bit of a let down for me.

It was slowwwwwww. So slow. I am glad the book was longer to be honest. It was told from the first person perspective and it wasn't done right for me. The parts about underwater cables was the most interesting parts and maybe, had this book be done in a different way... I would have loved it

It was just ok for me

3 stars

Colum McCann's new book, Twist, centers around the cables under the ocean that carry internet messages around the world, and the people who repair them when they break. I'll admit - this didn't grab me as a very interesting story idea, but I'm so glad I didn't let that stop me. This is an absolutely stunning book - beautifully written, suspenseful, and, yes, interesting! The story is told from the perspective of Anthony Fennel, a journalist who hitches a ride along one of the boat expeditions to repair these cables, all in the interest of writing an article. He meets the head of the mission, John Conway - the lead freediver who fixes the repairs - and his bewitching partner, Zanele. Mysterious and elusive, these characters and their relationships with each other and our protagonist keep us turning the pages to find out their histories and their motivations. We find that it isn't only the cables that are always breaking and in need of repair...the humans are too. McCann is a brilliant writer - highly recommend!

Most internet signals travel via hair thin fiber optic cables resting on the sea floors. Breaks happen and when they do a repair ship is launched to locate and repair the break.

“Twist” takes us deep into murky motivations and connections as our narrator, Irish journalist Fennel, joins a repair crew based in South Africa led by chief of mission Conway, a master free diver and shadowy character with hints of Joseph Conrad’s Kurtz. Conway’s domestic partner, Zanele, and young twins are off to London, where Zanele will star in “Waiting for Godot” and will find fame on stage and screen.

Those ideas all weave through the tale—acting, waiting, obsession, madness. Or do they? In the end, it’s murky and despite Fennel’s obsession with Conway and Zanele and his crossing a continent to follow the clues, he’s left with only a hint of a picture and we are left with more questions than answers.

And that’s okay. The world Colum McCann paints for us is intriguing. Learning about fiber optics and the cable repair industry is fascinating. I feel like the prose too often got in the way of the story, slowed me down unnecessarily. I heard an interview about the book with McCann in which he read a section that felt overwritten as I read it but when I heard it it was perfect so perhaps this would be good one to listen to as an audiobook.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for this review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I don't know what I was expecting. It was compelling and thought provoking in a literary fiction kind of way. I was hoping for more fast-paced action based on the description. Overall the story was really good but I just felt like it could have had more.

In 2019, Anthony Fennell is given the assignment of writing a magazine article about the work of the men who repair the underwater cables that transmit the information that runs today’s world. He travels to South Africa where he meets John Conway who agrees to let him sail with his crew on their next repair mission. Fennell also meets Conway’s lover, the South African actress, Zanele. She is about to head to England to appear in a play. The book is written from Fennell’s point of view, as he attempts to tell the story of Conway. “I am not sure that anybody, anywhere, is truly aware of what lay at the core of Conway and the era he, and we, lived through — it was a time of enormous greed and foolish longing and, in the end, unfathomable isolation.”

The writing here was lovely, but ultimately I thought that the author left too many gaps in the characterization of Conway and Zanele. Conway was meant to be a mysterious shape shifter, but even so I would have liked to have been given some clue into his inner life. A section near the end of the book shifts to a description of Conway’s activities after the cable is repaired, but we still get no hints about why he is doing these things, which frankly make no sense at all. The book was also kind of a jumble of issues - middle aged angst, lack of connection, ocean pollution, terrorism, Covid, etc.

I’ve had mixed experiences with this author’s books but some, like “Apeirogon”, “Thirteen Ways of Looking” and “Dancer” are so good that I will keep reading anything he writes. I also like the way that he never repeats himself. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

In the end, it feels like Conway is a side character, which feels a little odd. And while you get a sense that book is focused on repair, in reality, it’s focused on brokenness.

3+ stars

Lyrical prose and storytelling must be in the water in Ireland, and Colum McCann is one of their beloved authors. In his latest novel, Twist, McCann explores the depths of the sea as well as of human emotion. Written in the voice of struggling writer Anthony Fennel, it examines the lives of two very different men, and the relationship that develops between them. John Conway is the captain of a ship whose mission is to repair the underwater cable that connects the world to the internet. Fennel is assigned to write an article about the break and repair. Conway is not only the captain of the ship and expert at locating the broken cable and repair, he’s also one of the best free divers in the world. His life fascinates Fenni ng to the point of obsession.
The story will satisfy the most demanding of both mystery/thriller readers but quench the thirst for beautiful language for literary readers as well. My favorite parts were the descriptions of the sea and Africa and the many reflections on time. Twist was released on March 25, 2025, by Hyperion Random House. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this beautiful novel.

Colum McCann’s Twist is a thought-provoking and intricately woven novel that explores the intersection of technology, humanity, and the unseen forces that shape our world. Set against the backdrop of undersea fiber-optic cables—the invisible arteries of global communication—it raises compelling questions about repair, destruction, and the nature of truth itself.

With poetic and layered prose, McCann navigates a story that is as much about its characters as it is about the structures—both physical and ideological—that bind and divide us. His exploration of technological dependence, environmental decay, and the fragility of human connection is both timely and deeply resonant. Twist does not offer easy answers but instead presents a meditation on the consequences of our actions, the stories we tell ourselves, and the limits of repair.

This is a novel that lingers in thought long after its final pages, offering a nuanced look at an unexpected yet essential topic. Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an advance copy via Random House in exchange for an honest review.

I can recall the days of the internet's infancy, the sheer excitement at the possibilities it would bring to our world mixed with the skepticism that it would deliver on all that it promised. Hefty encyclopedias had long been our gateway to knowledge, but the internet threatened to upend that entirely. Even with its screeching dial-up tones, sluggish speeds, and frequent outages, it changed the world in ways we never could have anticipated. Now, with Wi-Fi considered a basic necessity and AI poised to disrupt our lives once again, we are still grappling with the consequences of our hyper-connected existence.

Our dependence on technology is becoming more prevalent each day, but are we actually more connected to each other? In his newest novel, Twist, author Colum McCann grapples with this question, forcing us to contemplate the fractures that have formed in our increasingly interconnected lives.

"Mine has been a lifetime of dropped connections."

At 47, Irish writer Anthony Fennell fears his life has plateaued. His novels saw modest success, his plays fared only slightly better, and his personal life is in shambles. Divorced, estranged from his teenage son, and drowning in self-doubt (and whiskey), he’s desperate for a break.

Most of the internet’s data travels through fiber optic cables lying deep beneath the ocean. Cables that, from time to time, snap. And when they do, someone has to fix them. Out of the blue, a magazine editor offers Anthony an assignment to cover the dangerous work of repairing these underwater lifelines. He’s less intrigued by the technicalities of the cables themselves and more by the deeper story they symbolize. He plans to tell a tale of connection, resilience, and restoration.

Joining a deep-sea repair crew led by the enigmatic John Conway, an expert free diver/engineer, Anthony embarks on a journey unlike any other. Isolated at sea with a diverse crew and miles of ocean in every direction, he finds himself drawn into their mission to reconnect the world. But as the cables pulse with the world’s conversations, they also carry news that will change the course of the journey and Anthony's life forever.

Twist is a fitting title for a novel that seeks to encapsulate the vastness of humanity within a relatively self-contained narrative. Colum McCann’s latest book explores the enormity of the world. There are the sprawling oceans, the cables running beneath them, and the intricate web of connectivity they sustain. Yet, at its core, this is a quietly intimate story.

Anthony is a man searching for purpose, and in John Conway, he encounters someone who, at least on the surface, seems to have found his. Conway is singularly skilled, excelling in his dangerous yet crucial work. But his past remains elusive. Even when Anthony meets Conway’s lover and learns more about his personal life, he is left with more questions than answers. The journey toward meaning is anything but straightforward.

As the novel twists through revelations and unexpected turns, certainty remains just out of reach. Twist becomes a meditation on connection. McCann urges us to seek it not just through technology but in the real world through conversations, experiences, and acts of love. While at times challenging and even frustrating, it is ultimately a novel that compels us to reflect on the bonds we have forged in our own lives and the path we traverse in finding our own sense of being.

This book explores the world of connections and communications – both interpersonal and physical. Protagonist Anthony Fennell is an Irish writer researching an article about the undersea cables that provide the infrastructure for global communications. He travels to South Africa where he meets the Chief of Mission of a repair ship, John Conway, a fellow Irishman, who introduces Fennell to his wife, Zanele, a black South African actress, and their twins. It is narrated in first person by Fennell looking back on what happened. The storyline follows Fennell’s interactions (and growing obsession) with Conway, their experiences with repairs of breaks in the underseas cables, Zanele’s experiences in London, and a mystery related to Conway.

It is a beautifully written literary work that addresses timely and relevant themes. Many (if not most) people are unaware how much of our global communication depends on these undersea fiberoptic cables, and that breaks in them could have significant consequences. It is filled with literary references, which I enjoyed discovering. I think this work may be a modern retelling of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. At the very least, there are many allusions and parallels.

I think the author does a fabulous job of drawing links between the characters’ personal stories and the work they are performing – both Conway at sea and Zanele as an actor. It comments on the importance of direct personal relationships, which are dwindling in this age of technology. It contains elements of philosophy while telling a compelling story and commenting on the state of the world. I loved it.

This novel was a story of connection, and isolation told through Anthony Fennell, and Irish journalist who was assigned to cover the crew in South Africa that repairs the underwater cable that carries global communication. While the subject is one that is rarely considered, we all use the internet daily and the book is about much more than the repair.
The story starts in CapeTown where the main character meets the mission chief, Conway, a fellow Irishman, whose partner, Zenele, is an actor who is leaving for England to perform in Waiting for Godot. The men become drinking buddies and the author delves into Fennell's thoughts, daily life, and background.
Part 2 describes the trip to repair the deep ocean cables and the men onboard as Fennel gets to know them and their assignments.
The last part, described Fennell's obsession with Conway, his life and connections after he (Conway) has disappeared. it is introspective, but very slow paced.
The writing is beautiful but I felt that it bogged down the story.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.

Fantastic story that has drama, mystery and interpersonal relationships. I really enjoyed the characters and the fast plot kept the story moving

3.5-4 stars
A reporter is assigned to the story of how underwater fiber, which carries all of the world's data, is repaired when a break occurs. But the real story is the reporter's obsession with the mission chief and his life.

I thought the parts about the ocean, diving, and the cable repair process were all quite interesting. However, I didn't really get the main character's obsession with the other guy. Didn't really get the other guy, either. ;)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book

I loved Apeirogon and had high expectations for Twist. Glimmers of what made me love Apeirogon shone through at times, but I mostly felt as though I was waiting for the story to end.

"I had a feeling that I had exhausted myself and that if I was ever going to write again, I would have to get out into the world. What I needed was a story about connection, about grace, about repair." -from narrator Anthony Fennell.

Twist by Colum McCann is a story with connection, grace, and repair. It's not an easy novel to summarize. Fennell is a journalist who's kind of untethered and gets an assignment to profile a ship based in South Africa that maintains and repairs the undersea cables supplying the world's communications. Sounds a bit dry but in McCann's hands it's anything but.

John Conway is in charge of the operation. There are shades of Heart of Darkness, Moby Dick, and Apocalypse Now in his character (and references in Fennell's tale). There's commentary on life pre and post internet, instant gratification. There's a mystery that Fennell alludes to in the beginning of his narration that is slowly revealed.

The prose is immersive. We're on the ship with the crew, in the middle of nowhere, sailing to the mission. Once again McCann propels the reader into a new world, a slice of life, in his inimitable style. I was transported.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub date 3/25/2025).

Review published in Sunday, March 22, 2025 edition of Charleston Gazette Mail

TWIST by Colum McCann, March 25, 2025, Random House, 256 pages.

Colum McCann, author of the seminal LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN (winner of the National Book Award, and a truly fantastic book) and Oscar nominee (for a short film - I did not know this, but found out when I was double checking the page count on this novel, and on the very day after this year’s Academy Awards. For those keeping track, Adrien Brody is still talking.) returns to his Irish roots here with main character Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright. He is assigned a story about the underwater cables that carry all the information of the world in tiny, fiber optic tubes and how they sometimes break, thousands of feet below the sea: “Our lives, even the unruptured ones, bounce around on the seafloor.”

Fennell travels to the west coast of Africa, where he learns about the people who repair these cables and he meets another Irishman, John Conway, a higher-up chief of mission on a cable repair ship. Conway is an enigmatic engineer and a free diver capable of reaching unbelievable depths. He’s in love with actress Zanele, who is preparing to travel to London, where she’ll appear in a production of “Waiting for Godot” - which will serve as a metaphor for climate change.

The cable has broken due to a catastrophic flood in the Congo. It has already caused a lack of Wi-Fi and massive internet outage in South Africa. If another cable would break, all of Africa would break. Everything around the world would start to slow down. The disaster would be beyond description. The cable stretches from London to Cape Town in a canyon 13,000 feet deep. These are the things on which the world balances.

We know within the first thirty or so pages what will happen. It is how we get there that is key.

Both Fennell and Conway have issues with alcohol. For Fennell, who has a sixteen year old son in Chile he hasn’t written to in five years, “it was a time of enormous greed and foolish longing and, in the end, unfathomable isolation.”

While at sea, the men face many fundamental questions about life, love and, yes, connection. In an incredibly fractured world, are we able to make connections any longer, when things become broken, or are the ruptures permanent?

In the end there are three breaks that must be repaired, which means the crew and Fennell will be at sea for weeks, maybe longer. Days of traveling, due to each breach, then more days of looking for the breaks, which are incredibly difficult to pinpoint. As the first break is being repaired, tragedy strikes in London, but no one can leave the ship, so Conway remains.

Ultimately the book also covers narrative, and truth - the stories we tell and what is true within them. It reads almost like a thriller and is another excellent book by McCann.

I'm struggling with how to review this book. The subject matter was generally interesting and taught me things I was unaware of, but not particularly exciting. The characters were decent, complicated but not especially noteworthy. But the writing. There was something about the writing that took what I found to be a mediocre subject matter (at least for me) and turned it into this collection of words and sentences that awaken your senses and let you experience the beauty of the written word. I truly cannot explain what pulled me in about this book, because it should have fallen flat for me. Instead, I just let myself be pulled into the rhythm of the writing, and to hell with what I was actually reading about.