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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
This book was published in 2020. I say that to start the review because it is clear--both from the writing style and the cover art--that Lethem is trying hard to recreate a past style of writing science fiction. Another reader mentioned that this book was an attempt at Literary Fiction. I don't particularly care what you call it; I didn't enjoy it.
For a book about a time after the apocalypse, very little detail is given about the cause of the apocalypse ("the arrest") in the first place. Lethem spends quite a while describing that things stopped working, using flowery language that could have been summed up as "No one knows why. One day, shit just broke." I would have preferred that kind of honesty to the all of the unnecessary prose.
I take my worldbuilding seriously: I can forgive a bad plot if I can care about the world that the author has created. Unfortunately, we don't get that.
What we get are flashbacks, an unappealing protagonist, an antagonist who lacks any real depth, and a basic post-apocalyptic plot line that has been done (better) hundreds of times before.
I wanted to care about Sandy (the Journeyman), but I didn't. I wanted to hate Todbaum, but instead I was just annoyed by him. Sandy's sister, Maddy, is the one with the most promise as a character, but she is sadly underdeveloped.
If you are looking for a great post-apocalyptic story, Lethem mentions several others in the text that he hopes to be referencing, but in the end, this one is no masterpiece.
For a book about a time after the apocalypse, very little detail is given about the cause of the apocalypse ("the arrest") in the first place. Lethem spends quite a while describing that things stopped working, using flowery language that could have been summed up as "No one knows why. One day, shit just broke." I would have preferred that kind of honesty to the all of the unnecessary prose.
I take my worldbuilding seriously: I can forgive a bad plot if I can care about the world that the author has created. Unfortunately, we don't get that.
What we get are flashbacks, an unappealing protagonist, an antagonist who lacks any real depth, and a basic post-apocalyptic plot line that has been done (better) hundreds of times before.
I wanted to care about Sandy (the Journeyman), but I didn't. I wanted to hate Todbaum, but instead I was just annoyed by him. Sandy's sister, Maddy, is the one with the most promise as a character, but she is sadly underdeveloped.
If you are looking for a great post-apocalyptic story, Lethem mentions several others in the text that he hopes to be referencing, but in the end, this one is no masterpiece.
When The Arrest happened, all technology just stopped working, but it wasn't quite the end of the world for Journeyman. His life as a Hollywood screenwriter was over, but he was finding his place in a new world, working as a bicycle deliveryman and butcher's assistant in his sister's organic farming community in Maine. But his community could be in for some changes when his friend Todbaum, a once-powerful movie studio executive, shows up at the town border in a working nuclear-powered supercar, bringing with him colorful stories about his cross-country post-Arrest journey and all the espresso the town residents care to drink. It's a weird and fun setup that is mostly well-executed, although I found the story's climax a bit perplexing. Jonathan Lethem is one of my favorite writers, and while I probably wouldn't put this in the top half of his books, it is full of interesting ideas, funny thoughts, and clever turns of phrase. The rare book I kind of wish had been longer, but I enjoyed what it was.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is strange and interestingly absurd. There were times when the writing sucked me in and I found the story compelling. However, I don’t think this book succeeded in transmitting even a vaguely cohesive argument/analysis/ social commentary, even though that’s what it seemed to want to do. Maybe it didn’t want to do so, and seeming to want to do so was meant to be part of the charm. I dunno.
Either way, I’m not mad that I read this book but I’m also not going to recommend it to anyone I know. I enjoyed the post-apocalyptic world building but the plot wasn’t strong enough and the characters flat, especially in the final third of the book. This is kind of something you could read on holiday if you want to something strange yet inconclusive; a fluff read without actually being fluffy.
Either way, I’m not mad that I read this book but I’m also not going to recommend it to anyone I know. I enjoyed the post-apocalyptic world building but the plot wasn’t strong enough and the characters flat, especially in the final third of the book. This is kind of something you could read on holiday if you want to something strange yet inconclusive; a fluff read without actually being fluffy.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Lethem's style. This book is about fear, relationships, family dynamics, not knowing who you are or what you should do with your life, how the circumstances of life determine what your choices are, how your personality determines what your choices are, the role of technology in our lives, the power of storytelling to impact our view of the world.... etc., etc.
What it isn't about: understanding exactly what the Arrest was or why it is allowing some types of technology and not others. Clearly not the point. He's set up a world and the reader has to enter in, and live there. Which you can do if you get the idea of "willing suspension of disbelief," a phrase I learned in high school English class (thank you, Mrs. Pfaff!)
I fear young readers today are not equipped to "get" anything that isn't fully explained. If you want realism, don't read Lethem's speculative fiction.
As for the while male author perspective - I didn't find it at all problematic here. The main character, Sandy/Journeyman, is complex and sort of pathetic, but also I was rooting for him. His sister, Maddy, is a mysterious powerhouse throughout the novel.
What it isn't about: understanding exactly what the Arrest was or why it is allowing some types of technology and not others. Clearly not the point. He's set up a world and the reader has to enter in, and live there. Which you can do if you get the idea of "willing suspension of disbelief," a phrase I learned in high school English class (thank you, Mrs. Pfaff!)
I fear young readers today are not equipped to "get" anything that isn't fully explained. If you want realism, don't read Lethem's speculative fiction.
As for the while male author perspective - I didn't find it at all problematic here. The main character, Sandy/Journeyman, is complex and sort of pathetic, but also I was rooting for him. His sister, Maddy, is a mysterious powerhouse throughout the novel.
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
No idea the point of this story. No one in the story felt convincing nor was any of it very funny.