Popco
$14.00
BK-PCO
from the author's myspace page: "A couple of years ago I wrote a 500 page novel about consumerism and the McDonaldsisation of identity."
from the author's Never Ending interview on www2.bookgirl.org...
Question: Which of your books is your favourite and why?
"My favourite book is always the one I have just finished, so I suppose it is PopCo. There are other reasons, though, too... It's mainly about a toy company and the process of developing a new idea in a remote, corporate 'thought camp.' But it's also about 17th century pirates, World War II, early computing, number theory, secret codes and ways of resisting authority. It's this crazy mix of things and I really hope it works.
Question: What kind of effect do you hope your books will have?
Occassionally I get e-mails from people who say that one of my books has made them look at the world in a slightly different way, or – even better – that the book has made them feel that they are not the only person experiencing lonliness or confusion or alienation. Getting an e-mail like that beats even the most brilliant review. In my books, it's OK to be a dreamer, to walk out of your job, to become a vegetarian, to try to start a revolution. I want my books to make people realise that these things are all completely OK... that they are desirable and logical in the world in which we live. On another level I want my books to make people think, 'huh?', to make the reader try to solve the puzzles (and there are lots of puzzles in PopCo) and to feel happy, at least on some level, at the end."
from Kirkus Reviews...
"...This ambitious novel...quietly but scathingly critiques consumerist society. Narrator Alice Butler, 29, invents new products for PopCo, a global toy company that sells 'the things kids want' – or rather, ceates those wants through such sinister marketing tactics as fake websites with fake kids 'discoverng' various PopCo products. Alice is mildly alienated by this as she heads to the company's annual brainstorming session at its luxorious "Thought Camp" in Devon. But over the course of her stay, childhood memories come flooding back to reveal how far she's strayed from the ideals of the grandparents who raised her after her mother died and her father
vanished. Both were ace mathematicians and cryptographers: her grandmother worked at Bletchley Park on cracking the Enigma code during WWII; her grandfather deciphered a manuscript that led to buried treasure, but refuse to make use of it, because the treasure lay in a wildlife preserve. He left teh secret to Alice, who at "Thought Camp" finds herself increasingly repulsed by the shallow values of most of her fellow employes, who think that 'no dress code, no rules and no set working hours' means they're free. In fact, they're as trapped as the workers who actually produce Popco's stuff in dangerous Third World factories. Thomas passes along a lot of surprisingly interesting information about math and cryptology, plus some highly creepy material on toy marketing, as she connects her heroine with fellow rebels and suggests an alternative to mindlessly feeding the corporate desire machine. The conclusion may not be terribly plausible but it provides a pleasing happy ending for morse but oddly lovable Alice –– and a form f revolt that suits her wised-up, yet not entirely cynical, generation. Thomas has always been a sharp observer and deft creator of character; it's a pleasure to see those skills employed in the context of a strong plot and stronger point of view. Thought-provoking fiction for the Digital Age."
from the Library Journal review...
"...Extremely ingenious novel. The very aptly-named Alice is recruited by the PopCo Corporation, a toy manufacturer, because of her crossword puzzle-making abilities. Since then, she has worked as an 'ideation creative' and designed a successful trio of toys that allow kids to do code-breaking, spying and detective work. When she finally realizes how immoral PopCo really is, she eagerly agrees when asked to join 'NoCo,' a subversive global organization of corporate employees that do their best to undermine the companies they work for with the ulimate goal of bankrupting them. For the first time in her life Alice feels like she truly belongs, and toward the end of the story she decides to write the novel that we have just read. British author Thomas is without question a gifted writer and many readers will find her new work a mind-blowing experience."
