Everyone likes to philosophise about the ‘battle’ between print and online media. Connor O’Brien is having a bet each way with his brand new collection of short stories Quiet City, which thoughtfully considers lives and their ubiquitous links to technology. Poignant, at times amusing and always carefully constructed, this cleanly designed piece makes you nod in agreement and then step back in horror as you recognise yourself in situations well out of your control: The addicted eBayer, the desperate tweeter/blogger, the robotic coder tapping out line after line of letters and numbers. But it’s fine, because you’re not quite like them, right? Not yet.
