Logging Off by Nick Spalding – Reviewed by Guy Portman
Graphic designer and internet-obsessed Andy Bellows has been on a downward spiral for a while now. He is being plagued by headaches, irritable bowels, interrupted sleep, and anxiety, which is affecting his work. Andy is none too happy when his doctor informs him that the cause of these ailments is the thing he loves most: the internet. A digital detox is prescribed. This means that for the next sixty days there will be no more gaming, Instagram, tweeting, apps, or online forums. Andy is mortified, for it feels to him like a life sentence. The journey is to be full of surprises — good, bad and farcical. There will be media interest, a burgeoning romance and a new outlook on life.
This ‘humorous’ work of fiction has a pertinent theme; namely that we, or at least many of us, are spending way too much time online. This cynical bibliophile was unimpressed by the novel’s feel-good factor, repetitive content and predictable outcome. The introverted nature of the protagonist’s existence, at least initially, is problematic because it results inevitably in extensive internal commentary, at the expense of dialogue.
Logging Off boasts an important message, but one rather banally communicated.
