Viv JM's Reviews > Sulphuric Acid

The time came when the suffering of others was not enough for them; they needed the spectacle of it, too.

Sulphuric Acid is a biting satire on our obsession with celebrity culture and reality TV. It tells the story of a new reality TV show called Concentration which is a televised concentration camp, with victims plucked randomly from the street, and then filmed in the camp until their deaths. It becomes a TV sensation. Nothomb really captures the nation's hypocrisy in decrying the evil of the programme, whilst still tuning in in record numbers, summed up in this quote from Part Five of the book:

All right-thinking people thought the right thing out loud, their heads cocked sadly towards their sets:
'Such suffering! What a dark day for humankind! We haven't won the right not to watch: we must bear witness to such horror, we must bring them to book. When the moment comes, we will not say we were not there.'

Then later this:

The height of hypocrisy was reached by those without televisions, who invited themselves round to their neighbours' houses to watch Concentration and wax indignant:
'When I see that, I'm glad I haven't got a television!'

Sulphuric Acid is a short but uncomfortable read, that really makes you question your own hypocrisy and righteous indignation. Despite that, it is not without humour and (view spoiler)[ the ending certainly does demonstrate a more hopeful view of humanity and the ways in which we see each other. (hide spoiler)] After reading this book, I am going to make a much greater effort to learn the names of the people I meet. Read it and you will see why!