THE LIST

Ola Olajide, a feminist journalist in London, is preparing for her wedding to Michael Koranteng, a podcaster who’s just landed his dream job, when his name appears on a list of abusers in the media industry.

Deeply in love, Ola and Michael find their lives turned upside down when a document known as The List is released on Twitter. Michael has been accused of “harassment and threatening behavior/Physical assault at office Christmas party,” followed by “ ‘Restraining order’ in brackets,” alongside a football legend accused of homophobia and a musician accused of rape. Ola is torn between her instinct to believe women and her disbelief that Michael could be guilty. Michael, who professes his innocence, obsessively combs through his romantic and sexual past trying to understand who his accuser could be, resulting in his rapidly declining mental health. With a relentless pace, the countdown to the wedding urges the reader onto the next chapter, then the next. As the story alternates between Ola’s and Michael’s perspectives, the release of The List prompts a series of events that quickly evade either character’s control. The insidious misogyny of the media world Ola and Michael orbit will be instantly recognizable to readers following the revelations of the #MeToo movement, and Adegoke also skewers the corporate Insta-feminism represented by Ola’s boss with ferocious accuracy. At the same time, she explores the real-world ramifications of an internet culture that lets people freely and anonymously accuse others. The List haunts Ola, forcing her to consider whether she’ll ever be able to trust Michael again, whether her career—built on calling out injustice—can survive her affiliation with an accused man. This is a book that forces the reader to consider the lengths to which they’d go to salvage their reputation—and protect their loved ones.

A well-crafted, timely response to the myriad anxieties of navigating life in 2023.