" It was interesting reading this at the moment given the almost voyeuristic overkill of the 9/11 anniversary.This is a highly political nobel, even a polemic, arguing that almost anyone can be turned into a 'terrorist' given our shock-jock media, two second sound bites and the loss of civil rights through anti-terrorism legislation. It's not the best writing in the world - Flanagan has adapted the thriller genre so none of the characters are fully formed and there are was too many coincidences. It's written in the kind of bitterness that these times seem to create. (Like going to a dinner party where everyone is depressed about the current government and there is no source of hope). Our bookclub discussed it - and the next day I read about the 50 new pieces of security legisation that had come into being in Australia post 9/11 - it's real. Alan Jones is real. Politicians distort events for their own ends. All real. It's just hard to get away with a novel that's so unrelenting in its anger. Interestingly, the topic that occupied us the longest was the one sex scene in the book. Very hard to talk about, sex, because it's so personal and what is one man's turn-on is definitely not for someone else. That became clear in the discussion. We were trying to think of examples of men writing well about sex (for women). I expect that we wouldn't necessarily agree even if we could think of some examples to start with. (Let me add though, that sex is definitely not central to the novel though the main chacater is a pole dancer.) "
— Jillwilson, 2/1/2014