One Story – Pip Finkemeyer

In Pip Finkemeyer’s new novel, One Story, a former Silicon Valley CEO – current fugitive – narrates the story of her downfall from a hidden archipelago of Indonesia, as a documentary film crew digs for the truth of what happened in the company she founded. It’s an intriguing conceit for a 21st century novel, and my friends at Ultimo Press were kind enough to send me a copy for review.

Finkemeyer has herself worked for tech companies, which explains the ring of authenticity in an otherwise somewhat surreal novel. One Story has strong vibes of Bad Blood or The Accidental Billionaires, those Silicon Valley stories we already know so well. The primary narrator, Dot Van Jensen, is a socially awkward megalomaniac who uses her power, charm, and considerable personal wealth to launch an app – from which the novel takes its name – that is ultimately used to mine the personal data of users for nefarious ends.

I’ll admit that One Story is a bit hard to unpick. It’s very smart, very ominous, very funny, but also a little perplexing at times. I can’t help but feel like some aspects of the story went over my head. Still, it was worth a read for the laughs and the moments of scary insight into the apps that dominate our lives.

Read One Story on audiobook via Libro.fm here. (affiliate link)