Twist by Colum McCann 

Book club discussion 6 November 2025 Coeur de Lion, Bath

Summary of discussion aided by AI

This was very much a “Marmite book” that split the book club down the middle—half the group really liked it while the other half weren’t that convinced.

Twist follows Anthony Fennell, a struggling Irish writer with drinking problems and writer’s block, who takes a job writing about undersea fibre-optic cable repairs. He travels to South Africa and joins a cable repair ship off the West African coast. There he meets John Conway, the mysterious captain and expert free-diver, and Zanele, Conway’s partner who’s a South African actress. She leaves for London with her two children soon after the story starts. What begins as a straightforward description of cable repair turns into something more philosophical about how people connect and disconnect, ending with Conway’s disappearance and acts of sabotage against undersea cables in Egypt.

Technology 

Some found the cable repair material genuinely interesting. Most people never think about how almost all internet traffic travels through cables on the ocean floor, and McCann does a good job explaining this world. The contrast between high-tech communications and the old-fashioned repair methods was striking—basically dropping a grappling hook four kilometers down into the mud and hoping to snag the cable. The book felt timely given recent news about attacks on undersea cables.

The technical aspects really resonated with some , particularly those with professional knowledge of fibre optics and related fields. The references to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, turbulence and laminar flow!!, and the discussion about the delicate but powerful nature of fibre optics worked well. The book effectively captured how fragile the internet infrastructure actually is, despite its seeming robustness. Some  wanted even more technical detail about how the repairs actually work.

Characters 

Conway split opinion completely. Some found him fascinating, complex, and mysterious—a skilled leader who inspired loyalty but remained unknowable. His unusual combination of being an engineer and free-diver made him intriguing, though his drivers were hard to understand. The charismatic quality he had in initial meetings came through for some readers, and his strange relationship with Zanele added depth. His surprising ending and hidden previous life worked for those who enjoyed the mystery element.

Others felt he never really came alive as a character. Instead of experiencing his supposed charisma, readers just kept being told he was interesting without actually feeling it. The hints about IRA connections felt like they were creating fake depth without ever going anywhere. His transformation in the final section into someone performing superhero-level acts of underwater sabotage seemed far-fetched and unconvincing. Nobody really understood why he did what he did—his motivations just weren’t clear.

Fennell as narrator divided opinion too. Some really grew to like him—his messy background, his dithering about contacting his son, and the pain about his lost wife felt real and relatable. The comment about him always explaining himself too much resonated strongly with readers who could relate to that feeling. His struggle with alcoholism and his broken relationship with his son were moving, especially when agonising over writing to his son. The section where he lived alone after Conway disappeared and the potential relationship with Velianne that almost happened (but didn’t because of Zanele’s phone call) was particularly engaging for some.

However, others found him not particularly likeable, dull and disengaged as a narrator.

Zanele was interesting, with her home life well described. Her strange relationship with both Conway and Fennell, and the other man in the background, added complexity. But her subplot about the acid attack in London felt underdeveloped to some and didn’t seem to serve much purpose.

Veliare stood out, particularly in the powerful dump scene showing how locals scavenge for pennies—a real moment illustrating global inequality. The near-relationship with Fennell added tension.

The ship’s crew and various characters encountered during the sea voyage were well drawn, with readers enjoying the seasickness scenes and the portrayal of life aboard the boat.

Writing Style

McCann writes beautifully, with some lovely prose and vivid descriptions of the sea and ship life. Lines like “the waves combed the days” show his skill. The scenes on the ship, particularly dealing with seasickness and waiting through storms, worked well. The book had moments of great tension throughout.

For those who connected with it, the pacing was perfect—the kind of book you don’t want to read too fast because you don’t want it to end.

However, the structure had problems for others. The story felt messy at times—lacking clear motives and neat timelines. While this might reflect real life’s randomness, some wished for a more straightforward approach. The writing could be too sparse in places, too wordy in others. The final third really divided readers—some found it became an exciting mystery thriller with a surprising ending, while others thought it went off the rails into unbelievable territory.

Main Themes

Connection and disconnection is the main theme of the book.The cables physically connecting the world mirror apparently how the characters struggle to connect emotionally. There is a real irony in the billions of messages flowing through cables whilst people can’t actually talk to each other. As one character says, “Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.” The discussion about connections and life, and the delicate nature but powerfulness of the internet infrastructure, worked effectively as metaphor.

Technology’s impact on the environment runs throughout. The book looks at ocean pollution, environmental damage, and how Africa gets exploited by tech companies. The dump scene really drives this home. There’s also criticism of big tech’s greed and the contrast between the tough work of cable repair and the cat videos and junk that the cables carry.

Isolation despite being connected is everywhere. Characters are lonely even with the internet connecting everyone. The pandemic made people isolated on land but freer at sea. Relationships fall apart because people can’t actually communicate their feelings, despite having all the technology in the world.

The globalised world shows up in Conway’s international travels, Zanele’s work around the world, and the multinational ship crew. Everything feels rootless and temporary.

The book also touches on addiction and personal failure, particularly Fennell’s alcoholism and how “the bottle does a good job of drinking the mind.”

The book clearly echoes Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now—mysterious journeys through Africa, enigmatic figures, darkness and human nature. Some readers felt this worked well, others thought McCann was trying too hard to write something profound.

Conclusion

The book really divided readers. Some thought it was extraordinary storytelling working on multiple levels—the kind of book that stays with you and that you savour rather than rush through. Others felt it was superficial—touching on numerous themes (ocean pollution, terrorism, colonialism, loneliness, depression) without really digging into any of them properly.

Most agreed the first part was strongest, with the grounded technical material providing a solid base. The ending either made the book compelling with its surprising revelations about Conway’s hidden life, or ruined it with far-fetched plot developments. The biggest problem for those who didn’t enjoy it was Conway—his character and motivations never felt convincing enough to support the weight the story put on him.

What stayed with readers was the question of whether our messages and connections actually matter, the hidden world of cables connecting civilization, how fragile our internet infrastructure really is, and how we keep trying to fix things while staying broken ourselves. The book works best as a look at how we fail to communicate in our hyper-connected world, even if the story didn’t always hang together perfectly for everyone.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​