My Life as a Hashtag brings the reader into the company of an eclectic group of friends, siblings and their wider social network. At its core this social group forms a tight, if not enmeshed, tribe made up of hip, quirky and fiercely intense teenagers that you’ll love hanging out with. Social life for these teens is inextricably linked with social media forums such as Instagram, SnapChat and Facebook that provide a platform for them to showcase their lives to a wider audience. It’s a network so large that in its manifest form, it has global reach, encompassing communities with imagined connections between them.

This is the social experience of young people today, where trawling through socialmedia feeds is as habitual and second-nature as breathing. Marie-Claude, or MC as sheprefers to be called, is no exception to the new teenage prototype. MC’s life is full of angstand discomfort as she comes to terms with her parents’ separation and is confrontedby the cringe-crazy fact that her mum is on Tinder. An exquisite blend of hilarity andembarrassment ensues. But things really get serious when falling for the same bad guycreates a rift between friends and MC finds herself outed, blocked on social media and notinvited to the party of the year.

A profound sense of injustice overwhelms MC and she vents her frustration in an onlinerant that goes viral. What follows unleashes a ‘dangerous, buzzing swarm’ of troll attacks,public shaming and online harassment on a grand scale. Catharsis comes through painfulself-awareness and a preparedness to confront one’s own bully nature. Not many of us havethe fortitude or moral mettle to face that kind of unguarded honesty about ourselves. MC issuch a character: somewhat flawed, yet brave, with a cautionary tale to tell.

Natalie Platten