PUSHING 40 and a self-confessed “runner-up” in life, the protagonist of Lionel Shriver’s novel, the disillusioned corporate lawyer Edgar Kellogg, makes the decision to chase after a job in journalism, leaving behind a promising but unfulfilling career.

The allure of the ego-boosting byline and his memory of his childhood peer Toby Falconer, one of life’s winners, leads Edgar on a path that he had not anticipated, as he is sent to replace a charismatic, and infamous, journalist named Barrington Saddler, who has gone missing in the fictional isthmus of Barba, Portugal.

The Portuguese terrorist cell, SOB, had been making headlines until Barrington’s unexplained disappearance, and as Edgar finds it predictably difficult to fill Barrington’s boots, he becomes entangled in an increasingly complicated situation.

The New Republic explores notions of popularity and the nature of charisma, but is more a lively novel about the practice of hack journalism and arrogance than a satiric exploration of terrorism.

It’s a timely, but by no means flawless novel, from the Orange Prize-winning creator of We Need To Talk About Kevin.

Natsayi Sithole