Gun, with Occasional Music
August 10th, 2006by Jonathan Lethem
ISBN: 0156028972
Gun, with Occasional Music is a blend of hard-boiled crime, sci-fi dystopia, and the absurd. It centers on one very unfortunate man: Conrad Metcalf, private inquisitor. Metcalf isn’t a bad guy, he just isn’t a very good guy. He’s a junkie — but nearly everyone is — and he’s bitter, and he’s rude. His sense of right and wrong may be fuzzy, but he does go to the trouble of making the distinction. His problems stem from having more of an attachment to the truth than is convenient in his society.
In Metcalf’s world, narcotics (Forgettol, Avoidol, Acceptol, and addictol) are freely available and their use is encouraged; that helps keep things convenient. Asking questions isn’t just rude, it is forbidden — unless you have a license, or work for the ominously nonspecific and ever-present Office. Animals are “evolved”, walking on two feet and talking, fulfilling roles from surrogate child to hired thug. People don’t go to jail, they get frozen and thawed out in a few years. As if all of this weren’t creepy enough, there are the babyheads.
I like the story well enough. The absurdities such as a talking but not overly bright kangaroo as tough guy probably added to my enjoyment. Hard-boiled fiction taken straight is definitely not my thing, and I generally don’t read mysteries, so I don’t feel like I can pass judgement on the quality of the case Metcalf assigns himself. I don’t think the mystery is really the point here, though Metcalf does solve it. The crushing absurdities are the point, and those are well done.
Recommended. Perfect for people who like their brain candy to have some edge.
