The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver - April book of the month. Read and join the Facebook Live with Lionel Shriver on Wednesday 10 May, 8.30pm

[RachelMumsnet]

The Mandibles is our April book of the month and we’re delighted that award-winning author Lionel Shriver will be joining us on Facebook for a live chat on Wednesday 10 May, 8.30pm

Set in a near future USA where the dollar has become worthless, this is the story of the Mandibles family. Once super-wealthy, they are forced to come to terms with the fact their inheritance has turned to ash and, as the effects of the economic collapse begin to hit, they are faced with the sheer challenge of survival.

In this novel Lionel Shriver once again proves she’s one of the greatest social commentators in literature. She tackles big issues (global economy, race, class) but always with her trademark dry wit - in fact this is arguably her funniest novel to date.

Amendment: Lionel Shriver is now joining us to answer your questions on Facebook LIVE from 8.30pm on Wednesday 10 May

Please see our post further down the thread for more information

I definitely prefer the normal webchat setup. More inclusive for people who aren't on Facebook. Maybe when we all have Flexes it will work properly.

Haha, Hygellig! Nooooooooo!

So I'm about three quarters of the way through this book and I'm fascinated so far about the whole premis and the slow disintegration of their lives and the whole economy. It's frightening how real it sounds and how plausible. It's making me want to squirrel money and rice away just in case.

My only slight bugbear is the age of some of the relatives and how 'active' they seem to be. Is it really feasible that people in their seventies and nineties could look after a violent dementia patient even if she is kept restrained sometimes. I would have preferred them to be a little younger, sixties and eighties maybe...

Other than that I'm loving it and can't wait to finish reading it. It's a very relevant book for the current world situation.

I'm so glad it wasn't just me who had trouble with the technical issues. Look forward to checking out the recorded interview on your Facebook page.

I haven't yet finished the novel, but like all of her work it is so considerate and spot-on in terms of writing.

Fascinating book with so many plausible, if frightening, futuristic concepts. Beautifully written though short on story line. Loved the ideas of what the future could hold but didn't feel as though I got to know any of the characters.

great book loved it.

I wryeerrjjerhvbf

I realise you all missed out on the webchat with Lionel last year. The good news is, she's agreed to join us tomorrow evening for a webchat, so if you still have a burning question about The Mandibles (I'm still recommending it to people a year on!), or you want to ask about her other novels or hear about her first collection of short stories (which she talks about in the webchat) then please join us tomorrow evening on this thread.