Small Island: The techno revolution has begun...

By Vicki Kellaway on May 14, 09 08:23 AM in Reading Gadgets

Okay, well it had probably already started - I just didn't expect it to appear in my home.

There I was, determined to get into Mohammed Hanif's A Case of Exploding Mangoes when the boyfriend appeared clutching his mobile phone.

"Look at my new book," he said.

"That's a phone dear," I replied patiently.

"Nope," he replied, grinning and throwing the phone in my direction.

And there it was...

... a 'book'.

Not just any old book, but Andrea Levy's Small Island which I've been thinking about reading for a while now.

There was the front page - exactly the same as the one I've reproduced here - and the comments from critics...followed by page one of 77 - also known as the first chapter... all on that tiny little mobile phone screen.

Now, call me cynical.

But I'm guessing it's no coincidence the boyfriend is on the Orange network and Small Island won not only the Orange prize for fiction in 2004 but also the "Orange of Oranges" award in 2005 for the best winner of the previous ten years.

The 'book' just appeared and I was amazed me to see it sitting there.

I argued it was too small to read - he changed the font.

I complained the screen would make my head ache - he changed the colour.

It was all a bit depressing really.

Like many people I love the feel of book and the fact they don't bleep or blip or run out of battery - or make me fear for my eyesight or my brain.

In fact the only use I can see for these things would be if I got stuck on a long train journey without my book ...

Although, if I did ever pass up the blissful, uninterrupted and acceptable treat of reading that is a long train journey ... I'm not sure I'd deserve to read the book anyway!

(I'm off to the south tonight, better just check my rucksac...)