Twitter Fingers

C

harting the friendship-cum-rivalry between two Toronto musicians, Vivek Shraya’s second novel, The Subtweet, offers a pop parable about the diverse ways relationships are mediated by politics and technology. Rukmini, a transgender writer at an arts magazine, idolizes the experimental musician Neela Devaki but is seeking validation of her own musical efforts through their burgeoning friendship. After she releases a cover of Neela’s “Every Song,” a paean to independence, Rukmini’s internet stardom suddenly sky­rockets and outstrips her idol’s popularity. Not long after, she agrees to be the supporting act on the rock megastar Hayley Trace’s world tour. Growing tired of her friend’s aloofness as she basks in her new-found celebrity, Neela voices her displeasure on Twitter, accusing Rukmini of pandering to white audiences. Her sub­tweet — the practice of maligning another Twitter user without identifying them — goes viral and snuffs out Rukmini’s career with...