The Great When

The Great When is a tough book to recommend. At times, the complicated prose transported me to the alternate London the characters inhabit. But most often, it was so dense and inscrutable that it greatly detracted from my enjoyment. The plot picks up in the second half, but I didn't necessarily like the sudden shift in the conflict's focus. I wish we spent more time with (or in the heads of) some of the side characters, as it sometimes feels like this book pitches a series rather than commits to one, like a TV show afraid it won't get picked up for a 2nd season.

Three things I wish I had known before starting this book (in no particular order; also, these are my opinions and not facts):

• While the plot and world-building are intricate, they prioritize style over substance.
• There are a lot of interesting side characters whose personalities shine in the scenes they are in, but they are their personalities and not as developed as I would have liked.

The main character is young and immature, and some of the "immature" scenes feel unjustified. Spoiler example: he fawns over a sex worker that he thinks is 25, but she turns out to be 15 for no reason other than "man, times were rough back then, huh?"

A new novel from The Greatest Living Englishman is always something to look forward to, and The Great When does not disappoint. Full of the joy of words and stories, it combines the ordinary and mundane with the very much not, and does so with extraordinarily vivid characters and locations. It's funny, exciting, mysterious, and stuffed full of sensawunda. Next one now, please.