A stinging dissection of wealth, class and the media, Natasha Brown’s satire begins with a man named Jake gazing at a gold bar he has found at a farm in West Yorkshire. Outside, an illegal rave is taking place which will end in three hospitalisations and property damage. Pondering what to do with the ingot that he has just used to bludgeon a stranger, Jake decides to do a runner.
The story of the stolen gold is told by a journalist, Hannah, in a magazine article named A Fool’s Gold, replicated in full here, which she claims exposes “the fraying fabric of British society, worn thin by late capitalism’s relentless abrasion”. Her piece, which goes viral, features Richard Spencer, an arrogant, philandering banker and the owner of the farm, whose reputation is left in tatters; a contrarian rightwing newspaper columnist named Miriam Leonard, known as Lenny; and a group of radical anarchist squatters who call themselves The Universalists.
Universality goes on to dissect the fallout from the article via the varying perspectives of its protagonists, all of which makes it ideal for the multi-voice audio treatment: Norma Butikofer narrates Hannah’s article while Hannah herself, a burnt-out literary journalist who stumbles on a scoop, is voiced by Anushka Chakravarti. Clare Corbett reads Lenny, antihero of the culture wars, and Daniel Weyman reads from the viewpoint of the self-pitying Richard, who calls Hannah’s actions “a cruel confidence trick”. Though we come to understand that each of the characters has an axe to grind; which of them, if any, can we trust?
Further listening
The Calamity Club
Kathryn Stockett, Penguin Audio, 28hr 45min
Meg, a young orphan deemed “unadoptable”, has her fortunes changed when she meets Birdie, the new bookkeeper at her orphanage. This Depression-era novel from the author of The Help is read by January LaVoy and Jenna Lamia.
It Could Have Been Her
Lisa Jewell, Penguin Audio, 10hr 47min
Lesley Sharp, James Norton, Emila Fox and Tim McInnerny are among the cast reading this new thriller from the None of This Is True author. A woman goes on a voyage into her past after a stray dog turns up on her doorstep and she sets about trying to find its owner.
