Being a big Lethem fan, I was excited to find a new novel by him, and I wasn't disappointed. Dissident Gardens, set solidly in New York as are many of his best (Motherless Brooklyn, Fortress of Solitude, Chronic City) is a sort of "epic" tale of three generations of "dissidents" - in particular, Rose Zimmer Angrush, American communist in the old party style from the 30s-50s, her daughter Miriam, swept into the "new Left" movement of the 60s-70s, and finally Sergius, third generation dissident with his own path to discover. There are other connected characters, the most memorable being Douglas Lookins, Rose's black policeman lover, Douglas' son (and Rose's protege) Cicero, slimy "uncle Lenny", and Tommy Gogan, Miriam's Irish folksinger husband, Sergius's father. The story of Rose's life, told in a non-chronological order, with considerable side paths, anchors the plot. And it's as much about a small slice of Queens as it is about the characters. The book is strongly written, vivid, even moving, written in Lethem's beautiful, often ironic and humorous style.
For a review of the book from NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/books/dissident-gardens-jonathan-lethems-new-novel.html?_r=0
For a review of the book from NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/books/dissident-gardens-jonathan-lethems-new-novel.html?_r=0
