Dimensions
158 x 241 x 33mm
Two women. Two very different approaches to journalism. Honor Tait (b. 1917) cut her teeth covering the Spanish Civil War and rivals Martha Gellhorn as one of the most renowned journalists of her time; Tamara Sim (b. 1970) works for Psst!, a weekend supplement of The Monitor, compiling lists of what's in and what's out, as well writing celebrity profiles, having learned her trade on the Ruislip Advertiser. It is January 1997, John Major is out, the Internet is in (although few people in the newspaper industry realise this) and Tamara Sim has been sent to interview Honor Tait. Neither of the two women understands why Tamara should have been selected for this particular assignment, but one thing is certain: though initially comic, their mismatched encounter will have devastating consequences. A Scoop for the nineties, McAfee's funny, trenchant first novel is part satire, part portrait of an era poised unknowingly on the brink of the technological revolution. Newspapers are obsessed by celebrity, New Labour is about to take over and the values of Honor Tait and her ilk are being consigned to the dustbin of history. But is Honor Tait's journalism really the beacon of Truth those of the old school consider it to be? There are two sides to every story and, as this witty novel shows whilst spiralling towards its frightening conclusion, there is no such thing as true objectivity, and no escape from vanity.
