Kepler's 2020 Project in the News:
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Beszel and Ul Qoma lie atop one another "grosstopically-speaking" if you are a native or in a jumble of contorted streets and segregated colors if you are not. Their conjoining, like an obscene copulation, is daily "unseen" with fearful discipline by those trained in their youth, or via a brutal act of will by the foreign-born or those whose vision has been jolted awake by what they have "seen" and "unseen." Between the cities lurks Breach who avidly police any violations of the strict perception separation between the city and the city, hungry to pounce on anyone–citizen or visitor–who crosses the seams. Inspector Borlu of the Besz Extreme Crime Squad has seen much, and now he is confronted by the mutilated body of a young archaeologist, a woman, brutally murdered. But the location of the crime is questionable, and Borlu’s investigations persistently and perilously skirt the borders between the cities. He wonders why Breach has uncharacteristically not intervened, and why so many factions in both Bezel and UlQoma seem determined that this case remain unsolved. Keyed with metaphor, redefining genre by the page-turn, Mieville’s story appears in the contrast between metaphysical philosophy and realistic crime thriller. The language in this book will throttle you into a new understanding of the boundaries between words and the limits of narrative. Following the intense plot, while continuously "breaching" the official borders in the landscape, feels both addictive and dangerously illicit. It’s a daring read. Reviewed by Vivian L |
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