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A review by benmsmith
The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem
4.0
Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.
Authors in 2020 seem to have the idea of "An Event" happening in the United States, and what might happen after that, on the brain this year. We've already had [b:A Children's Bible|53122391|A Children's Bible|Lydia Millet|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572903380l/53122391._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73351391], [b:The Silence|53879204|The Silence|Don DeLillo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595611017l/53879204._SY75_.jpg|84216171], and [b:Leave the World Behind|50358031|Leave the World Behind|Rumaan Alam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583735183l/50358031._SY75_.jpg|75306723] give their take on what that event was and what happens in the direct aftermath, and now The Arrest shows what might happen with a little more remove.
The cover description on the book specifically calls out that it's not meant to be interpreted post-apocalyptically. This isn't the end of the world, but something's definitely happened to the devices. I think Lethem's description of what "The Arrest" is is one of the most poetic passages I've read this year, and satisfied me more than Don DeLillo or Rumaan Alam's descriptions of the inciting incidents. It took me a little bit to get use to the way Jonathan Lethem writes to figure out what was going on and if I liked this - chapters are fairly short, but can be dense if you're not fully paying attention to what characters are doing, since the main character is alternately Journeyman, Sandy, or Alexander Duplessis. The book gives glimpses of who its characters were in the beforetimes and how the "arrest" has changed their world well. I'm not sure I entirely "got" the ending, but this was a nice little diversion into a speculative future.
Authors in 2020 seem to have the idea of "An Event" happening in the United States, and what might happen after that, on the brain this year. We've already had [b:A Children's Bible|53122391|A Children's Bible|Lydia Millet|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572903380l/53122391._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73351391], [b:The Silence|53879204|The Silence|Don DeLillo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595611017l/53879204._SY75_.jpg|84216171], and [b:Leave the World Behind|50358031|Leave the World Behind|Rumaan Alam|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583735183l/50358031._SY75_.jpg|75306723] give their take on what that event was and what happens in the direct aftermath, and now The Arrest shows what might happen with a little more remove.
The cover description on the book specifically calls out that it's not meant to be interpreted post-apocalyptically. This isn't the end of the world, but something's definitely happened to the devices. I think Lethem's description of what "The Arrest" is is one of the most poetic passages I've read this year, and satisfied me more than Don DeLillo or Rumaan Alam's descriptions of the inciting incidents. It took me a little bit to get use to the way Jonathan Lethem writes to figure out what was going on and if I liked this - chapters are fairly short, but can be dense if you're not fully paying attention to what characters are doing, since the main character is alternately Journeyman, Sandy, or Alexander Duplessis. The book gives glimpses of who its characters were in the beforetimes and how the "arrest" has changed their world well. I'm not sure I entirely "got" the ending, but this was a nice little diversion into a speculative future.