The List: A Novel

After Michael leaves Ola’s flat, Lewis sends him a link to Sophie Chambers’s Womxxxn post about The List. The article turns the gossip into a “legitimate” story, and people throw eggs at Michael’s front door. CuRated fires him to avoid being perceived as “sexist” and “racist.” Michael buys a bottle of Jack Daniels and starts drinking. He thinks about why he loves Ola, reasoning that she is successful, educated, and “sexual.” Loving her gives his life meaning, but it doesn’t help her. He sends Ola a long, emotional message and wonders if she will come to his funeral. He then walks into the middle of the Elephant and Castle roundabout during rush hour.

Michael wakes up in the hospital. His injuries include eight broken ribs, a fractured jaw, and a punctured lung. Ola is by his side, and she has news.

Lewis Hale died by suicide and left a note revealing his gay identity. His death spawns #RememberLewis and #ThinkFirst, with people encouraging one another to keep Lewis in mind before posting negative comments. Politicians try to pass the Lewis Law to curb “online defamation.” Radio shows, TV shows, podcasts, and YouTube videos debate the meaning of Lewis’s death and its relation to feminism and The List. The sudden show of concern for Lewis upsets Michael, who wonders why the world didn’t show Lewis such empathy when he was alive.

Ola and Michael’s wedding cost £30,000, but the annulment was only £550. After Michael told Ola about Jackie, she knew that she couldn’t fully trust Michael again. She didn’t think that Michael was a bad person, and she believed that she loved him, but she also realized that love didn’t erase her other concerns. Even without The List, Ola suspects that they would have separated.

Michael stops using social media, and he quits drinking. He is now a college tutor. Ola wishes that she had quit Womxxxn sooner and is now shopping a book proposal about female rappers. Ola limits her social media use to a private Instagram account, and she has honey-blond braids like Beyonce during her “Lemonade era.”

Ruth and Kwabz are dating, and Celie and Ola are traveling to Brussels for Celie’s birthday. All Tea, No Crumpet removed their page about The List, but Mathew Plummer lost his job and is suing Nour. Nour has raised more money than Mathew to offset the legal fees. Papi Danks uses Lewis’s death to invalidate The List.

One day, at the children’s zoo, Ola sees Jackie and marches toward her, but a young person on a scooter knocks her down. Michael takes Ola to a bench. Ola says that Jackie destroyed their marriage and should face consequences. Michael thinks that Jackie will get away with her behavior. Jokingly, he compares Ola to Suge Knight.

Jackie comes home and tells her boyfriend, Aaron, about seeing Ola and Michael in Battersea Park. Jackie has two daughters, and she is pregnant with a baby boy. Jackie admits that she acted “mad,” but she is different now. She cries, and Aaron comforts her. Eventually, Jackie falls asleep on the couch.

The narrative reveals that Aaron put Michael’s name on The List. He was able to access The List because his sister works for a record label and sent it to him. Aaron and Jackie were in an undefined relationship, and when Jackie started seeing Michael, she “ghosted” Aaron. Jackie and Aaron later became a couple again, but then Jackie and Michael reconnected online. She changed the contact labeled “Mikey” to “Nail Shop,” but Aaron wasn’t fooled, and he could not understand why Jackie chose Michael’s indifference over Aaron’s love.

Using Jackie’s phone, Aaron sent Michael violent messages, feeling as though he was defending Jackie. Michael was a visible figure, while Jackie was “vulnerable” and “weak.” To provide another outlet for his anger, Aaron joined All Tea, No Crumpets as @mirrorissa92. He didn’t think that anyone would take him seriously, and once he started the rumors, he couldn’t control their impact.

In the kitchen, Aaron makes Jackie a mug of hot water—a craving spurred by her pregnancy. When she wakes up, Aaron brings her the hot water in her favorite mug.