Being a big Lethem fan, I was looking forward to reading the one book of his that I hadn't gotten around to yet. Well, I didn't find it anything close to his best effort. The story is about an as-of-yet undiscovered band who has a moment of potential glory due to the strange intercession of a mysterious person who connects with the female bass player via a "complaint line" that is actually a kind of conceptual art event. The relationship between the two, and between other members of the band play out, as does the band's fortunes. The plot is mildly interesting and there are flashes of brilliance, but the characters and setting (so solid in his best works like Motherless Brooklyn and Fortress of Solitude) do not inspire. He does not capture the soul of LA like he does the gritty NYC of the above-mentioned books. And apart from a few interesting marginal characters, there's no main character who carries the story, least of all the protagonist, Lucinda the bass player. No doubt, even a weak Lethem book is enjoyable (like a bad pizza) but it failed to meet my admittedly high expectations.
For a review of the book from The Guardian, click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jul/14/featuresreviews.guardianreview19
For a review of the book from The Guardian, click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jul/14/featuresreviews.guardianreview19
