Pinball

I'm actually fairly unsure about what I thought of this book. There was a lot I liked about it; I loved the way that Kosinski talks about music throughout it, and I think that the character of an anonymous artist like Goddard is inspired. I found myself imagining Goddard's music to sound like Daft Punk, which I realize is a bit of an anachronism, but it seems to fit somehow.

There were two main things that I didn't like about the book, at the same time. The first was what appeared to be some subtle passive racism regarding the character of Donna. She's the only black character in the book, and she is presented as an overly sexualized, petty character, and she's written in a way that seems to suggest that she is that way because of her ethnicity. The other thing is the ending of the book. For the first 9/10ths of the book, it's primarily a character-driven piece, with little true plot to speak of, and then it turns into a much more plot-driven piece right at the very end, which is a little jarring.

Overall, I'd give it a tentative recommendation if you're a music lover.

Story: 8 / 10
Characters: 9
Setting: 9
Prose: 10