Colum McCann’s new novel, “Twist”, demonstrates how easily technology can fail . . . as easily as cutting a cord at the bottom of the ocean. It also shows how tenuous and fragile human relationships are as well. While the topic is fascinating — lives of the sailors and repairers of the underwater cables, the characters themselves don’t seem as fully fleshed out as McCann’s characters usually do. The characters of Anthony Fennell and Conway are closed off, and I’m uncertain as to why characters divulge intimate details of their lives to the narrator (Fennell), as he doesn’t seem to do much to earn their trust. Finally, the image of a boat off the coast of Africa, helping to re-establish internet connectivity or a trapping of “civilization”, with a captain who may be little crazy and the narrative voice a middle aged white guy from Ireland just smacks too much of “Heart of Darkness”. I really wanted to love this novel, as it had all the elements I love in McCann’s other works — the unnamed people who are the tapestry of our history, a profession that most people don’t even know exist (the people who maintain transoceanic cables responsible for so much of what makes our world run is an actual thing!), characters whose life experiences represent so much of humanity — and yet, in a book literally about connections, I struggled to connect, to find the depth of setting and character that exist in the other worlds McCann has produced in “Transatlantic”, “Let the Great World Spin” and “This Side of Brightness.”

If you told me that I really needed to read a story about the communication lines that crisscross the ocean floor... I would have laughed. But I am here to tell you that you need to read a story about those undersea communication lines!

Twist is pure genius and again McCann crafts a story that pulls you in and keeps you there from start to finish. I loved the narrator, Anthony Fennell, so much! This book starts out by having you think that the story is about how those underwater cables are repaired...but really it is about so much more. It is about stories... shared and kept private. It is about overcoming obstacles... or going around them... or plowing through them. It is about doing the right thing... even when that is the wrong thing.

And while I did not want to like Conroy... I loved... love him too. No spoilers, but I am in the "he survived" camp! I highly recommend this brilliant story!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Random House for this digital copy of Twist. It will be published March 25, 2025.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Random House for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I could not get into this book. I had a hard time reading it. It was a slow book for me. I am not sure if I would recommend this book or not.

Colum McCann's latest novel is about the fiber optic cables that lie at the bottom of the ocean and carry nearly all our information through billions of pulses of light. And yes, these cables do break and someone needs to fix them as quickly as possible. This is the story of one such man, a man named John A. Conway, whose job it was to go out with a crew on a cable repair vessel, find the break and fix it asap. He was a complicated man and this is the story of how he wandered and was lost.

The story is told by Anthony Fennell, an Irish writer who has been hired to write an article about these underwater cables for an online magazine. He meets Conway and arranges to board the Georges Lecointe, a cable repair vessel which is heading out to fix two major breaks off the west coast of Africa.

McCann himself gives a nod to Joseph Conrad and the story does certainly carry an atmosphere of dread. I was also reminded of novels by Graham Greene. The characters are complex and at times unfathomable--at least to me. I never did quite understand Conway--except perhaps for what is expressed in this quote: "The most casual things can, after all, twist our tired hearts."

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc via Net Galley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

An Irish journalist, in an effort to get over writer's block, joins the crew of a ship that repairs broken underwater cables that carry information to the world of the coast of Africa in order to write an article. The chief of the cable repair is John Conway - a man with a mysterious past. This book started out strong, but it dragged once they were on the ship. The ending took an unexpected turn but not enough to make me love the book. Overall the book got dragged down trying to be metaphorical

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. I very much enjoyed the behind the scenes look into the world of transatlantic cables and what happens when they get cut. (Who even knew we rely on such things for our internet connections?) The characters are compelling and I found the book to be both informative and entertaining.

Twist is (somehow) my first Column McCann read and I was mesmerized by his way with words. Such absolutely beautiful prose fill the pages of Twist. Anthony Fennell is an Irish journalist hired to follow the story of John Conway, a diver who is doing work on the undersea communication cables off the coast of South Africa. The story is told from the perspective of Fennell putting his story together and his reminiscences of meeting Conway and his partner, Zanele.

Beautifully written and thought-provoking, Twist is a story that will leave me thinking about it long after I've finished reading it.

Twist is a thoughtful and beautifully written tale of a journalist pursuing the story of the individuals who repair the world's undersea telecommunication cables. When we first meet Anthony Fennell his life is in disarray; he's estranged from his wife and son, writing shorter works to pay the bills, and drinking more than a little. He accepts an assignment to join a cable repair team off of the west coast of Africa and is quickly intrigued by the mechanics of the thin fiber optic threads that carry the pulses of information around the world. He also becomes fascinated by John Conway who commands the mission. Conway is an admirable free-diver who has excellent instincts for locating cable breaks. Once he starts a search his focus reaches a heroic level. On the boat Fennell's attention is captured by the multi-national culture of the ship and its crew. In many ways his experiences at sea help him establish better habits and connections to the people who are important to him. Conway's life twists in an opposite direction due to both external and internal circumstances. He remains a cipher though the reader tries to puzzle out his motives and choices alongside of Fennell.

"It is, I suppose, the job of the teller to rearrange the scattered pieces of a story so that they conform to some sort of coherence. Between fact and fiction lie memory and imagination. Within memory and imagination lies our desire to capture at least some essence of the truth, which is, at best, messy"

Thank you to the Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Quotes are taken from an uncorrected proof.

Colum McCann is a masterful storyteller and poetic writer. “Twist” tells the story of an unhappy Irish journalist who is assigned to write a story about repairing the underwater cables that carry information around the world. He is paired up with a sophisticated diver who heads a cable repair mission off the African coast and goes out to sea to witness a repair mission. Before and during the voyage, questions arise as to the motivations of each man and the life challenges that have brought them to this situation. The reader learns a lot about these underwater cables and the intricate process of repairing them as well as the skill of the divers and technical team involved in a repair operation. The book questions the global impact of the decisions we make as a society related to technology and connection as well as exploring the broken lives and relationships of these two characters. While I enjoyed the book, I didn’t like it as much as “Apeirogon”, a previous book of the author which I truly loved.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A novel about connections--both human and technological. A writer travels on a ship that is repairing internet cables on the sea floor. A mysterious man goes missing. There is much about the man that no one knows except a former lover.

An interesting but exciting story that takes you on a journey of intrigue, while keeping you thinking about how people change their thinking based on events that happen in their lives.

“We don’t really know the dark until we get there.”

As soon as I learned McCann had a new book coming out I knew I wanted to read it regardless of the topic he was choosing to write about. I trust this author that much.

Twist follows Anthony Fennell who is hired to write a longform journalism piece on the repair of data cables that lie on the ocean floor. He travels to Cape Town and meets up with the chief of mission, John A Conway. Fennell will join Conway aboard the repair vessel as it goes out to sea. Conway makes it clear that under no circumstances will he be able to be rescued or return before the job is done. Before leaving, Fennell joins Conway at his home for a visit and meets Zanele, his partner, and the children. Zanele and Conway are both free divers able to dive deep and hold their breath for several minutes. Zanele is also an actor who is leaving to go to perform in England as the book opens. What Fennell learns aboard the vessel will go into his piece. The story is written from hindsight with Fennell trying to organize his thoughts and all that has happened since his excursion into a story that will draw the reader’s attention.

I didn’t know that more data is stored beneath the ocean in these fibre optic cables than what is stored in the cloud. There were many interesting tidbits which showed the serious research McCann conducts before writing his books. But really the story is so much more than that. There is commentary on colonialism, love, regret, and human connection.

Were I someone that could read 256 pages in one sitting, I would have as I did not want to put it down.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for an eARC of Colum McCann’s newest title, Twist, in exchange for my honest opinions. Please note this book publishes March 25, 2025 and the quote used in this review may not reflect the finished copy.

This was absolutely everything that I hoped it would be after hearing from so many people about how great call him. Ken is in fact, this was actually even better than I imagined it would be. This was a strong five stars. It is one of those bags that you open up and start reading and no within a few pages that you are reading something that is truly special. You know how there are times. When you come across a passage in a book that speaks to you in such a way that makes you feel like finally someone has put into words a feeling that you didn’t even know you had? That to me, as the essence of true literary talent, and Colin McMahon has that talent, the sort of talent that grabs you by the heart and squeezes.

When you come across a passage in a book that speaks to you in such a way that makes you feel like finally someone has put into words a feeling that you didn’t even know you had? That to me, as the essence of true literary talent, and Colin McMahon has that talent, the sort of talent that grabs you by the heart and squeezes.

There is so much about this book to love from the subject matter to the pacing and style to the technical writing to the perfect ending. Endings can so often ruin a great book, and so many authors fall into the trappings of poor endings, where they know what they wanted their character to experience, but not necessarily what they wanted them to learn in the end, and that is not the case. In this book at all, he could not have landed the plane Any more smoothly. I love the issues that are spoken about, and tackled so beautifully without being the central focus of the entire book, issues, like toxic masculinity, and the way Ken, she lives in was very prevalent, and the significant by remain secondary to the characters, continued growth. I also at the one box about revolutions as they bring about such a feeling of aliveness, and in life in the world so much bigger than oneself, and that is so much the essence of what I found within these pages, that there is so much that we are simultaneously involved in an a part of, and also barely consequential. These issues that are asking mean everything in our lives, but Ken also said to remind us that we are nothing in the grand scheme of things, and that so much of what we get hung up on, is meaningless in the face of annihilation.

There is also a love triangle in this book, which is not something that I tend to enjoy and often feel that it is a trope put in just for the sake of adding conflict even though there is no true conflict, because one is set up to be so much better than the other in our eyes, and so that their characters as well and, I can very much enjoy a book about unrequited love just as I can very much enjoy a book about two people that love the same person, but when the set up is written in a way that is more so about unrequited love, but shapes it as a love triangle that bothers me because it feels like a cheap trick, but that did not happen here that love triangle was written as perfectly as a love triangle can be written, where one understands every single person within the triangle and fields for each of them, and truly understands why each of them are in their place.

Yes, this was absolutely stunning and my Facebook by the time Darin and I will inevitably be making my way through his entire backlog, and also like this is a gem, a once in a generation type of Friday, and I find myself to be very lucky to be from this time so that I can read his beautiful words. This deserves all the stars.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Irish journalist Anthony Fennell is a journalist struggling with alcoholism and a lack of direction. When his editor assigns him a story about ships that repair underwater cable breaks, he is less than enthusiastic. But the allure of being at sea and evading the pressures of his life ultimately compels him to accept the assignment. Due to a massive underwater avalanches of plants, trees, and garbage, triggered by the Congo River's response to environmental abuse, the cables connecting Africa to the rest of the world are severed and cause a major communication crisis.

This is such a compelling and relevant story about our dependence upon the internet, fiber optic networks and communication in the digital age. This is a very well written and fast paced story with likable characters and current themes. The writing and story pulls you in and does not let you go until the end. Highly recommend!

Shhh…

Irish journalist Anthony Fennell is disconnected, grappling with alcoholism and a lack of direction. When his editor assigns him a story about ships that repair underwater cable breaks, he hesitates. However, the allure of sailing out to sea and evading the pressures of his life ashore ultimately compels him to accept the assignment.

“What I needed was a story about connection, about grace, about repair.” *

Undersea fiber-optic cables are vital for global communication. In "Twist," massive underwater avalanches of plants, trees, and garbage, triggered by the Congo River's response to environmental abuse, sever the cables connecting Africa to the rest of the world, and cause a major communication crisis.

The novel follows a very “Gatsby-esque” path, as Fennell's focus shifts from documenting the repair mission to his growing fascination with Conway, the mission's leader, and Zanele, Conway's lover. Initially presented as a reliable figure, Conway's behavior takes an unexpected and erratic twist, throwing Fennell off balance. Despite the intention to avoid a personality-driven narrative, Fennell’s obsession with Conway overshadows the repair mission and ultimately takes center stage.

The breakdown of communication, both societally and personally, is central to the story. There is a mysterious disruption of mass communication, while a man in midlife crisis struggles to reconnect with his ex-wife and estranged son. The overabundance of information in the world hasn't prevented the deterioration of human relationships.

“Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.” *

“You can ache for years and not even know that you’ve been aching. The ache has gone so deep that it seems to come from another life, one now even remembered anymore.” *

The captivating story of the Conway saga and the charismatic, mysterious captain was more developed than the narrator’s inner conflict. McCann's prose is brilliant, but the merging of the two storylines felt forced. The passages on our reliance on undersea cables were also fascinating.

Thank you to the Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Twist #NetGalley

*Quotes are taken from an uncorrected proof. Publishing March 25, 2025

A character driven fascinating novel by one of my favorite authors! The background narrative about the maintenance of the underwater cables was educational and it was a bit frightening to learn how tenuous these connections. The drama tied in well with the characters' flaws.

The mood, atmosphere and setting of this story are what makes this story shine. The scenes underwater are breathtaking, and the feel of the small African town is so well written. The writing is poetic, and the subject matter is interesting. All these cables at the bottom of the oceans carrying the world’s information and connecting humans to each other. The life of the men on the repair boat is just grueling, months out at sea with limited contact with loved ones back home. The irony of these men having little to no contact with the world while they are tasked to repair the connectivity of humanity is SO fascinating. This story relies on character development of the three main characters, Fennell, Conway and Zanele, and their interconnectedness. Overall, this is an engaging story that is beautifully written with a new to me subject.

McCann's sentence level writing is so incredibly good. I am in awe of the writing in this book. It also had a mystery that worked. I wouldn't necessarily call it page turning, but rather a deep character study. This sent me into a deep dive about the ocean floor and I'm grateful for it.

Gorgeous writing, powerful story, mysterious and alluring, with an ending that blew me away. For whatever reason I didn’t expect this to be a book I loved so much. Highly recommend.

An introspective thriller that explores not only the depths of sea cables carrying all our data between continents but also the depths of our unresolved life emotions.

Anthony Fennell, a discontented Irish writer who has hit both a writer’s block and a sense of life stagnation, nabs a magazine assignment to go to South Africa and cover a crew that specializes in repairing deep sea data cable breaks. He meets fellow Irishman John Conway, an engineer and diver who serves as Chief of Mission for a boat that coverages the Atlantic Ocean. John mostly wraps himself in an air of remove, but while waiting around weeks for the next cable emergency, Anthony does get a chance to meet Zanele, John’s partner who’s a striking, aspiring Black South African actress, and their twin sons.

Fascinated by John, John tries to uncover all he can about John’s seemingly incongruous background with only a modicum of success. Part of his quest also parallels Anthony’s own deeper dive into how he ended up in such a state a low self-regard and quiet despair.
When finally a cable ruptures due to a river landslide into a deep ocean abyss, Anthony sets sail with John and the crew. The cable repair proves one of their toughest ones yet- having to make guesswork of snaring the cable with a large, lowered hook. John also opens up a bit more to Anthony after a brutal attack on Zanele who’s left to England to stage a controversial staging of a Shakespearian play.

McCann leaves many deep questions lingering about the state of the world that’s so dependent on information zipping along the ocean’s depths in a very thin glass cable. With powerful and lyrical prose, and no ready answers, McCann also challenges us to reexamine the often-fragile emotional undercurrents of our own lives, that can get unexpectedly severed and in need of rescue.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.