The Arrest

For awhile I was really engaged with this one, but by the end I was so at odds with its hyper cynical view of the world that it left the sourest possible taste in my mouth.

Lethem sets up an interesting world with this one, with shades of the cozy dystopia you get in the second half of a John Wyndham novel, and then sets a good plot in that world (a variation on the classic A Stranger Comes To Town formula). Unfortunately he goes on to make a mess of the execution, thanks to his choice and handling of the main character. Journeyman is a void at the centre of the book. He doesn't do anything, doesn't influence anything and has little impact on what happens in the story. He's just a vessel for describing what other people are doing. The story happens around him, and I'm not sure events would have panned out any differently if he hadn't been there at all. The vehicle that drives (excuse the pun) the plot is fantastic, some of the imagery is great, especially at the climax, and Lethem can certainly write, but ultimately this is bit of a nothing book.