I’m delighted to be part of the launch celebrations for Lost In Static by Christina Philippou. Published by Urbane on 15th September 2016, Lost in Static is Christina’s debut thriller.

Lost in Static is available for purchase in e-book and paperback from, amongst others, Amazon UK, Amazon US, and directly from the publisher Urbane Publications.

Lost in Static

Sometimes growing up is seeing someone else’s side of the story.

Four stories. One truth. Whom do you believe?

Callum has a family secret. Yasmine wants to know it. Juliette thinks nobody knows hers. All Ruby wants is to reinvent herself.

They are brought together by circumstance, torn apart by misunderstanding. As new relationships are forged and confidences are broken, each person’s version of events is coloured by their background, beliefs and prejudices. And so the ingredients are in place for a year shaped by lust, betrayal, and violence…

Lost in Static is the gripping debut from author Christina Philippou. Whom will you trust?

My Review of Lost in Static

It’s the first year at university for Ruby, Callum, Juliette and Yasmine, but the reality of the year isn’t going to match their expectations.

What a powerful read Lost in Static is. It opens dramatically and we find ourselves drawn into the events leading to this point throughout the narrative. I found the experience of reading Lost in Static a bit like eating a millefeuille slice as there were so many layers to it.

I loved the title Lost in Static. There is a direct reference to static in the story, but it also refers to the deliberately unreliable narratives that the characters,  Yasmine in particular, create. Static also refers to the effect of equilibrium and the characters in this story are certainly trying to establish, regain or create their own stasis as they come to terms with their relationships, their sexulaities and their own personalities which are among the themes explored so convincingly in Lost in Static.

I loved the idea of being lost too. Christina Philippou has made her characters lose sight of the truth as the plot builds, repeats and echoes so that much of the time the reader is unsure whom to trust. It’s quite difficult initially to work out to whom the characters are addressing their first person narratives, and this helps create the sense of mystery. It’s as if there’s a kind of vortex drawing them in from which they cannot escape.

I thought the characters were so vivid and, if I’m honest, truly awful. I loathed each and every one, even Ruby with her constant references to everyone as ‘mate’ and especially Yasmine who is utterly loathsome. Indeed,  it surprised me that I found the story so compelling when I didn’t like those in it at all.

What I enjoyed most about Lost in Static, though, was the way it took me back to my own time at university. The lifestyle Christina Philippou describes, the accommodation and the fluctuating relationships and experiences brought back many memories and I thought she had created such student life admirably.

In many ways, Lost in Static is a challenging read as there are so many narrative perspectives but definitely worth the effort as it is a gritty, no holds barred, insight into the student psyche as well as being an entertaining thriller.

About Christina Philippou

Christina Philippou’s writing career has been a varied one, from populating the short-story notebook that lived under her desk at school to penning reports on corruption and terrorist finance. When not reading or writing, she can be found engaging in sport or undertaking some form of nature appreciation. Christina has three passports to go with her three children, but is not a spy. Lost in Static is her first novel.

Christina is also the founder of the contemporary fiction author initiative, Britfic. You can follow Christina on Twitter, and find her on Facebook, Instagram and Google+. There’s also more with these other bloggers: