Operation Trumpsformation
Operation Trumpsformation is a 2017 book by Irish journalist and author Paul Howard and is the seventeenth novel in the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series.[1]
 | |
| Author | Paul Howard |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Alan Clarke |
| Cover artist | Alan Clarke |
| Country | Republic of Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Series | Ross O'Carroll-Kelly |
| Set in | Dublin, 22 May 2015 – 23 June 2016 |
| Published | 21 September 2017 |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Media type | Print: paperback |
| Pages | 368 |
| ISBN | 978-0-241-97801-6 |
| 823.92 | |
| Preceded by | Game of Throw-ins |
| Followed by | Dancing with the Tsars |
The title refers to the TV series Operation Transformation and American President Donald Trump.
Background
Howard had nearly finished the book when Donald Trump won the 2016 United States presidential election; he felt he had to rewrite it to account for the state of the world: "I felt I couldn’t put out a book which didn’t reflect a Trump era."[2]
Plot
Gay marriage is legalised in Ireland. Fionnuala, Ross's mother, is imprisoned, accused of the murder of her second husband. Ross's triplets develop an interest in soccer. Ross's father, Charles, aims to emulate Donald Trump and build a wall around Cork. Honor adopts a transgender identity, becoming "Eddie."
Reception
Emer McLysaght, writing in The Irish Times, said that "All of the Trump comparisons and the very 2017 “woke” topics might initially seem a little clumsy and shoehorned in, but what Howard and O’Carroll-Kelly have once again managed to do is provide hilarious satire, enjoyably transparent commentary on political happenings at home and abroad, and masterful phonetic conversations across Ross’s own south Dublin circle."[3]
In Hot Press, Siobhán Hegarty said that "Howard's latest satirical offering sparkles throughout and is funnier than ever."[4]
Tara Flynn recommended it for one of her Christmas reads.[5]
Operation Trumpsformation was nominated for the Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the 2017 Irish Book Awards.[6][7][8][9]
It sold over 17,000 copies in 2017, being the tenth-bestselling book in Ireland for that year's Christmas.[10][11]
References
- O'Carroll-Kelly, Ross (September 21, 2017). "Operation Trumpsformation". Penguin Books Limited – via Google Books.
- Barry, Aoife. "Paul Howard had to scrap a Ross O'Carroll Kelly book because of Donald Trump". TheJournal.ie.
- "Operation Trumpsformation review: Rosser's on form again". The Irish Times.
- "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com.
- Flynn, Tara. "Trump, poxes and Wikibeaks: the funniest books for Christmas". The Irish Times.
- "Time to honour the best of 2017's Irish writing". Independent.ie.
- "Honoured to be included among these giants". Independent.ie.
- "Shortlists announced for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2017". The Irish Times.
- "Shortlist for book awards revealed". www.irishexaminer.com. November 3, 2017.
- McGreevy, Ronan. "Oh My God! Aisling beats David Walliams to coveted Christmas bestseller slot". The Irish Times.
- McGreevy, Ronan. "'Bad Dad' by David Walliams is Ireland's bestselling book of 2017". The Irish Times.