Operation Trumpsformation Explained

Operation Trumpsformation
Author:Paul Howard
Illustrator:Alan Clarke
Cover Artist:Alan Clarke
Country:Republic of Ireland
Pages:368
Language:English
Media Type:Print: paperback
Series:Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
Published:21 September 2017
Set In:Dublin, 22 May 201523 June 2016
Publisher:Penguin Books
Preceded By:Game of Throw-ins
Dewey:823.92
Isbn:978-0-241-97801-6
Followed By:Dancing with the Tsars

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]

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]

Notes and References

  1. Book: O'Carroll-Kelly, Ross. Operation Trumpsformation. September 21, 2017. Penguin Books Limited. 9781844883837 . Google Books.
  2. Web site: Paul Howard had to scrap a Ross O'Carroll Kelly book because of Donald Trump. Aoife. Barry. TheJournal.ie. 30 September 2017 .
  3. News: Operation Trumpsformation review: Rosser's on form again. The Irish Times.
  4. News: Tomes To Go To . 2023-09-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211110012834/https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/hot-press/20171108/282226600973555 . 10 Nov 2021 . PressReader.
  5. News: Trump, poxes and Wikibeaks: the funniest books for Christmas. Tara. Flynn. The Irish Times.
  6. Web site: Time to honour the best of 2017's Irish writing. Independent.ie. 6 November 2017 .
  7. Web site: Honoured to be included among these giants. Independent.ie. 20 November 2017 .
  8. News: Shortlists announced for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2017. The Irish Times.
  9. Web site: Shortlist for book awards revealed. November 3, 2017. www.irishexaminer.com.
  10. News: Oh My God! Aisling beats David Walliams to coveted Christmas bestseller slot. Ronan. McGreevy. The Irish Times.
  11. News: 'Bad Dad' by David Walliams is Ireland's bestselling book of 2017. Ronan. McGreevy. The Irish Times.