The Doomscroller's Companion
Doomscroller's Companion
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Wisconsin Press
Publishing:27th Oct '26
£14.99
This title is due to be published on 27th October, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Jane, aka @erejane, a thirtysomething professional web influencer with 1.7 million followers and zero dollars, lives in her spinster aunt's spare bedroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Her only confidant is Brian, a potter who is thrilled that the internet allows him to connect without having to leave his Appleton home and studio. Life is about to get worse for them both.
With limited options and a dwindling bank account, Jane jumps at the chance to immerse herself in blogging about a scientific study of sharks taking place on a remote island and bird sanctuary near San Francisco. However, things fall apart when a global pandemic strikes with astonishing speed. The scientists surrounding Jane succumb one by one; meanwhile, Brian grapples with the arrival of neighbors living out their apocalyptic movie fantasies. As real-world events increasingly force them to set aside their online personas, Jane and Brian are forced to decide what—or whom—they care for the most.
Told via both traditional narrative and imagined social media posts—which often appear, as they do in life, out of chronological order—The Doomscroller's Companion is as engaging as it is unexpected.
"A dazzling spin on the pandemic narrative. . . . The Doomscroller's Companion provides thought-provoking social commentary in a unique package and a deeply modern setting. It poses an unsettling yet vital question: in a world where our realities are filtered and fractured through screens, how do we find meaning and connection, especially in times of real crises? The idea sticks with us, makes us reconsider not only the stories we tell but the media through which those stories are told." - (Independent Book Review)
"A vivid, sometimes lyrical portrayal of people finding that nature can rudely show us the difference between what we perceive to be important and what really matters. Dark and detailed with a note of hope for us all." - Christopher Moore, New York Times best-selling author of Lamb
"If the end times are nigh, it's nice to have a writer as smart, funny, and trenchant as our guide. A terrific book by an unforgettable new writer." - Dan Chaon, author of One of Us
"Wimmer has created a beautiful patchwork quilt of narrative modes to tell a layered story of what it means to be human in a time of species collapse—our own. Both harrowing and heartfelt." - Lori Rader-Day, USA Today best-selling author of Wreck Your Heart
ISBN: 9780299360245
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 454g
360 pages