Reviews

The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem

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This is the first Lethem novel I've read, but won't be the last. A peculiar, charming, cynical and deeply personal dystopian novel about a screenwriting fixer who happened to specialize in dystopian scripts, and accidentally becomes stranded in a utopian farm co-op on the coast of Maine. Think "Orson Welles driving a Mad Max vehicle" and you might begin to imagine the horror that stalks the tiny Maine outpost.

spinstah's review against another edition

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3.0

This was...fine? One of those books where nothing much happens, but in such a way that it seems like there’s a lot going on. Except there isn’t. The story either needed to be opened up more to the world, or had the claustrophobia of the town cranked up higher. There were some great opportunities for conspiracy that were left untapped, and a lack of tension in an element that really could have used some weird Lethem tension.

over60's review

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4.0

I liked this book. An event, of which we aren't fully informed, has arrested life in America, and we don't know if it has on the planet as well. It's a nice package of relationships between three main characters and the world in which they now must navigate. A nice conclusion where everyone is in their deserved places. There is a lot more to it than I state, however more than event has caused an arrest.

mehitabels's review

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2.0

le sigh. really tired of whiny protagonist

jeffrossbooks's review

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4.0

When it comes to the end times it's great to have a little humor. And mystery. Lethem doesn't try and solve or explain what happens after The Arrest. Nor does he fully explain what the event is. Adding this mystery to the rest of the mysteries makes for a book that is, truly, at its heart a speculative novel.
The end effect of this book, like all of Lethem's novels, is one of wonder. It lingers after you've finished as the bits of the book (including the set-up of very short chapters) crystalize into a whole.

kybrz's review against another edition

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4.0

First and foremost, the writing of this book is cutting and vivid. This book pulls the rare trick of being a dystopia you just want to kick back in. (see: Station Eleven). It answers the question of, what if the main character of a dystopian story isn't an orphaned teen saving the world, but a listless adult who is just doing a menial job? It could have devolved into novel-gazing, but the writing of Lethem keeps the story moving comfortably forward, maybe not propulsively, but pleasantly.

My biggest issue was that Maddy seemed like the most interesting character by far, but we were given almost nothing of her thoughts and motivations. It seemed intentional, but I am not sure it was the correct choice.

leighbeevee's review

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2.0

This book didn't do it for me. I love post-apocalyptic fiction, and was interested in the first half of the book, but it didn't really go anywhere for me. I wish there was more -- more interesting characters, more story, more something.

huckabees's review

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4.0

I have been a fan of Jonathan Lethem's since I discovered his work over twenty years ago. I especially love his science fiction work like Girl in Landscape and As She Crawled Across the Table. The Arrest is a return to those sorts of stories. It's science fiction that's less about the technicalities and more about the characters and their relationships in such an intensely strange moment. I was reminded a little of Robert Altman while reading with a sprawling cast of disparate characters and strains of satire about the film industry weaving their way in. This is a dystopia that actually functions, people sliding into community positions that might not have suited them before The Arrest but now seem like a natural fit. Our story focuses on what happens when this tenuous attempt to make something new gets shaken up by reminders of the old world. It's a timely tale told by a masterful writer.