It remains a sad truth universally acknowledged that women read more books than men.
Twenty years ago, Ian McEwan remarked that ‘when women stop reading, the novel will be dead’. I found myself thinking about that last week, sitting by the pool on holiday.
The women — myself included — were all reading novels. The men, almost without exception, were staring at their phones. Doom scrolling. A small snapshot, perhaps, but one that reflects — and still reflects — a broader reality.