The Supreme Lie, by Geraldine McCaughrean
I picked up this book in Waterstones, thinking that it not only looked interesting, but it also seemed to have a number of the hallmarks of 'social and political protest writing,' a genre I study extensively in A-level English. It would be fascinating, I thought, to use my knowledge of the genre, and see how this novel explored it. Furthermore, I suspected there would be opportunity to take a Marxist reading of it. Marxist criticism is a lens that examines how literature portrays issues of class, power and economics; this would be full of fertile material. I also noted that this book smelt amazing - 'new book' has got to be one of the best scents on this earth, rivalled only by 'very old book.' Anyway, smell aside, this book was brilliant. I really enjoyed it.
'The Supreme Lie' is set in a fantasy city called Praesto, facing disastrous flooding. The protagonist is a handmaid called Gloria who is forced to impersonate the absent Head of State, Madame Suprema. In terms of social and political protest, this is already gold dust - we have a power divide, an authoritarian government, natural disaster... I was excited just reading the blurb!
A few chapters in, I had a sudden fantasy that the whole setting might be an extended metaphor for the coronavirus pandemic. It was published in 2021, so there was a chance this was a feasible suggestion. But then I realised that the magical thing about a tale such as this is that it can be applied to many different political situations, in many different governments, at many different times. Because at its heart, this book is a commentary on government corruption, and is a warning about the danger of lies in politics. As such, I believe that my pandemic metaphor is certainly a viable reading of this novel. It could also be about the climate crisis. Or both, or neither. For the purposes of this article, I will keep it general.
I think the cleverest thing about this book is the way it uses narrative perspective to expose the class divide. First of all, the concept itself involves a lower class character stepping into the shoes of an upper class character. McCaughrean has already created opportunity for highlighting the contrast in their lifestyles. But it works even more deeply, because Gloria is a child - an emblem of innocence - being thrust into a world of corruption and lies. Placing a young and untainted character inside this dishonest government is a clever way of challenging the corruption, because Gloria and the readers who take her side are able to question the way Praesto's government handles the crisis.
But Gloria's isn't the only narrative thread. There is another narrative running throughout in alternate chapters, told from the perspective of dogs. Fascinatingly, the dogs' sections were told with more olfactory imagery - and not only conventional smells, but abstract smells like Danger and Death. In terms of class, the dogs seem to represent the lowest of the low; they are servants to the servants, and they are not treated like humans. But they are presented as virtuous, vivacious, characterful. Although I am not such a dog person (I don't hate them, I just don't love them either), I really began to feel very fond of these dogs. Additionally, the dogs' narrative was able to highlight the impact of the government's decisions on the people (and animals!) outside the city, furthering our resentment of the corrupt politicians and our admiration of Gloria's more humanitarian attitude.
The novel also has frequent interjections of newspaper pages from 'The Voice,' a fictional media outlet full of lies. I love this feature, so clever.
It's not just the perspective that is so well-done here: there is so much in the imagery too. The fact that the government base is situated on a distant, gated hill. The way the Suprema wears a veil that obscures her true appearance. The irony of the cutlery factories churning out knives and forks despite there being no food to eat. It all works to illustrate the ubiquity of the Praesto government's lies.
And perhaps the cleverest thing of all is that even though Gloria uses her new position to make the politics more fair and more honest, even though she as a character is juxtaposed against the corruption, her very presence in government is based on a lie. The lies are inescapable! Inevitable! What a clever book. I enjoyed it immensely, and I suppose the fact that it complements my A-level studies so well is a bonus!