As a huge Lionel Shriver fan I was super excited to see Mania up for a first impression review and clicking onto Read the First Look was a complete no-brainer (oops). The front cover is extremely eye-catching (a dunce’s cap ice cream cone?) and the blurb is really intriguing. I raced through the sample pages with a wry smile on my face and was left desperate for more. I loved the style of writing and word choice. All the characters came to life in a flash. I particularly enjoyed Pearson’s casual supper/decorous dinner, revolutionary rant or “barrage of bigoted bilge” according to Roger who came across as a complete idiot (oops) and Darwin sounds like a special kind of smart (oops). As political correctness goes increasingly bonkers there may well come a day when we won’t be allowed to say anything at all! Thought-provoking and amusing, disturbing and dumbfounding (potential oops), tongue-in-cheek and tangible – classic Lionel Shriver. I can’t wait to read more.