Popco: A Gripping Action Adventure Mystery Where a Code-Breaker Exposes Corporate Crime and Treasure

This is a love it or hate it book. Because of the significant social issues contained in this story, such as the mistreatment of animals, corporate misdeeds, and guerilla marketing, this will appeal more to socially conscious individuals and those whose principles stand in opposition to the current CEO-type establishment. But, even then, counterculture types may still not like it if they don't want to see these issues advanced in a novel. That said, I applaud Scarlett Thomas for weaving these controversies in without sermonizing and laying on dull exposition. Thomas is clearly brainy and imaginative. She is subversive without being cynical, intellectual without condescending. Two storylines alternate throughout the novel, and eventually merge into a complex whole. As a child, Alice Butler was raised primarily by her grandparents, as her mother died when she was very young and her father took off to find a buried treasure. Alice's grandfather is a formidable cryptanalyst, cracking codes and ciphers and teaching Alice the essentials of prime numbers, poly-alphabetic ciphers, Vigenere enciphering, and other forms of codes and ciphers. The reader is exposed to some fundamental lessons that are thrilling and mind-boggling. The author infuses this in the story so naturally that it feels organically part of the storyline. Alice's grandmother has been working on the Riemann Hypothesis for many years but has not solved it. Alice's upbringing has made her hyperaware of the layers of complexity that exist in her surroundings, and she is a lover of paradoxes. She is often alienated from her peers, and develops a tough shell due to the immaturity and abuse she endures from her classmates (as well as some teachers). I have never read a book that illuminates adolescent behaviors so well--such as taunting, striving for popularity, the desire to fit in. Not even Margaret Atwood, known for her stark portrayals of teenage predatory behaviors, has illustrated the harrowing anxieties, shame and adversity so baldly and authentically. As an adult, Alice works for the corporate toy company, PopCo, the third largest toy company in the world. The story opens as Alice is on her way to a "thought camp" retreat. Her job is coming up with marketing strategies aimed at teenage girls. Her team is designated to design a new product, with specific potential to become a craze. Essentially, create a desire where none exists and persuade teenage girls that they have to have it. The ideation seminars at the thought camp instruct PopCo employees to create identity manias, a veritable fever that infects girls and coaxes them to covet a trend and crave a product. In lesser hands, this could easily become an elongated slogan or a sententious rant. However, Thomas is a gifted writer with a blazing, generous spirit. She is out-of the box and brimming with provocative, piercing ideas that are fleshed out and powerful. This imaginative novel is unclassifiable and yet compelling. The author has a keen sense of adventure, keeping the reader in suspense. Alice's narrative voice has a vital, dynamic sensibility that is suffused with compassion and wisdom beyond her years. The prose is eloquent and her characters fully developed. Thomas is an enormous, brilliant think tank of a writer.

So sometimes I find the most amazing books by searching for a book to fit a challenge I am doing on Goodreads. This is such a book... And something about the description was appealing to me; the stuff about the ciphers and codes. Then once I started reading it got even better! The main character, Alice Butler, is an introvert like me. So I could relate to her even though she lives in the UK. Plus how the book is written, the first person writing style, just pulled me right in. I was hooked! And no matter what the book was talking about I was never bored at all - even when it was going on about all of this prime number stuff (I am bad at math) or about very complex codes that I really didn't understand. And that alone is very amazing!! because normally I should get bored or frustrated. But I didn't! Alice had my full attention. And this book is way more than just about a woman (who is 29 years old) going down on a special retreat for the toy company she works for. Its about ideas. Idea generating and lateral thinking. And its also about lies and propaganda; about how ads convince you that yes you really need that new thing when in reality you don't need that thing at all. And mixed into these themes is a historical story about a man who went off to sea; a treasure. And a treasure map! Plus its about Alice when she was a girl and a teenager too. We learn so much about her. And I basically loved all parts of this book - except for one thing. And that is why I am rating this 4 stars and not 5 stars. I got really annoyed at the constant vegan - vegetarian stuff in here. I mean it was practically shoved down my throat. Now I have friends who are vegetarian. It doesn't bother me. But when a book is saying that one should go out and commit crimes (knock over egg displays at store to break the eggs, etc) then it is going way too far. And it was near the end of the book where these "friends" of hers was telling her how to do these things. They also thought it was ok to tear open toy packages in the store so the store could not sell the products. That just really bothered me. And I was think about that last night when I was trying to fall asleep. Its just very disturbing. Do these "friends" want Alice to go to jail? That whole part of the book soured for me and it made me feel that she had not learned anything. Otherwise I would have rated this 5 stars. But this is a very deep book. And I absolutely loved reading all of the adventures Alice had when she was a teenager and even later when she was in college. The historical parts with Francis Stevenson were excellent too! In many ways this book is about peer pressure and standing up for what you believe in. But you need courage to do that. Many of the codes and ciphers were way above my head but that did not stop me from reading this. You don't need to understand it. But this is a very creative character driven story that is very complex and it has very detailed backgrounds too. Even way back to the 1600s. But be aware its more drama than thriller. Its not exciting. But it did totally grip my attention. I even found myself doing lateral thinking! But what the book says in here about ads is correct. Ads often lie. They try to influence you. And if you can understand that then maybe you will enjoy this book.

It is so great to have some math and encrypton be part of a novel! But if you have a math background, you'll probably be disappointed with the level of math covered in the book's 500 pages. If you have any background in business, you'll probably find the conclusion strangely naive. If you think that casual sex, absent conversation, is romantic, you'll be pleased. The book is very original and the writing is great, but it is too long.

I read Pop Co after it was recommended to me by a friend. It was the first book I read by Scarlet Thomas but now this book is one of my all time favorites and I have ordered "Our Tragic Universe" and The End of My Y." My only regret was that I was not able to read this book in my teens. I think the central character, Alice, makes an intriguing and inspiring female role model for teen girls. She successfully emulates the confusion, awkwardness and mean-ness of teen girls and still manages to evolve into a smart, likeable, independent adult. I liked all of the characters presented and enjoyed their back stories and the blending of math, cryptology and mass market manipulation made me think about what I was reading. A great thought-provoking book!

The book cover seems old and worn out, but the pages are in a good condition.

I love this book dearly, this is my fourth time reading it. Scarlett Thomas is a genius!

Un ami m'avait prêté ce livre, mais je voulais impérativement posséder mon exemplaire. Bien que je juge le livre un peu moins bon que "The End of Mr. Y", il reste néanmoins excellent. Le style de Scarlett Thomas et sa capacité à mêler les mathématiques et les sciences à un scénario parfaitement ficelé font de PopCo un livre à avoir dans sa bibliothèque !

I'd already read "The End of Mr Y", and thoroughly enjoyed it, although I'd been slightly disappointed with the ending, which didn't, in my opinion, live up to the rest of the book. But Scarlett Thomas had produced something intelligent, pacey and different, so I thought I'd give this previous novel a try. I'm really glad I did - it was excellent, just as gripping and interesting as "The End of Mr Y", but with a totally satisfactory ending. I also learnt something about codes - and she's brilliant at telling you things without either interfering with the pace or making you feel you're being lectured - and look forward to trying the vegan cake recipe when my vegan friend comes to dinner. Now to try some more of the back catalogue while hoping she's well on with a new offering!

The book arrived in great condition however the quality of the cover is more paper-like and easily damageable