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Jun
23
Just Read It: THE CITY AND THE CITY by China Mieville
2010 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Now available in paperback from Del Rey
Oh, this book! It. Is. So. Good.
Where to start?
At its core, China Miéville’s The City and The City is a police procedural. But it is so much more than that. In the opening scene, main character Inspector Tyador Borlu of the Beszel Extreme Crime Squad is called to a crime scene, where he discovers the body of an unknown woman (referred to as Fulana Detail, the Beszel version of “Jane Doe”), who, at first glance, seems to be a prostitute.
I know, I know. You’re thinking, “a dead hooker at the beginning of a crime novel? How original!”
But hold your horses because that is SO not the case here. The plot of The City and The City is just a vehicle for a concept that will make your brain explode. In a really great way.
It turns out that the unknown woman isn’t a hooker at all but was involved in some conspiracy-ish activities investigating the history of Beszel and its “topolganger” Ul Qoma. You see, the two cities for which the book is named are “crosshatched,” and their inhabitants coexist without acknowledging or interacting with each other. In fact, citizens of Beszel are required by law to “unsee” Ul Qoma and its people, and vice-versa.
And this isn’t an easy feat.
A street in Beszel can also have portions in Ul Qoma, which a Beszel citizen must walk around and ignore. Buildings are often split so that some rooms are in Beszel and others are in Ul Qoma. Even trees can be split, with children from the two cities climbing their prescribed branches and dutifully “unseeing” each other as they pass. Drives in Beszel traffic the same streets as drivers in Ul Qoma, though the streets have different names in the two cities, and drivers in one must navigate around drives from the other without making contact or paying noticeable attention to them. You get the idea.
Individuals who look too long at something, make eye contact with a resident, or walk into a shop on the wrong side of the crosshatching are said to be in breach, and they are taken into custody by Breach (the governing body that oversees both Beszel and Ul Qoma, and about which very little is known). The people of Beszel and Ul Qoma aren’t really clear on how and why their cities came to be, but theories (and fringe groups reminiscent of The X Files) abound, and the young woman Borlu is investigating seems to have been onto something that somebody didn’t want her to know.
Miéville weaves a riveting mystery into this complex and perplexing world, and believe me when I tell you that it will get under your skin. The City and The City gave me crazy dreams and resulted in some social awkwardness when I experimented with unseeing people who were standing right next to me, and it was well worth it. Miéville takes something as familiar as the police procedural and uses it to lead us into a world the likes of which we’ve never seen. And, as Jenn said when we discussed this book recently, he shows us the world and then slowly rotates it until we don’t recognize it anymore. For that alone, The City and The City is not to be missed, but the reasons to read it are myriad. 5 out of 5.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Rebecca Schinsky
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Hooray! A book you are praising and loved that I already own! This is exciting
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Review: The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo =-.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rebecca Schinsky, Rebecca Schinsky. Rebecca Schinsky said: Just Read It: THE CITY AND THE CITY by China Mieville http://bit.ly/c7V4QH [...]
I love a book that makes my head explode. Can’t wait to read this one. Thanks for the review.
I wonder if I’m smart enough for this one!
I’m glad you explained some of how this plot works….I just read a new YA/Middle Reader book by Daniel Pinkwater that is kind of based on the same premise (okay, no hooker or crime scene in this one, because it’s for kids and that would be gross, lol)….the different planes of existance and how multiple “worlds” live in the same place at the same time without knowing the other is there. It’s a fun concept, so I’ll have to check this book out, too.
.-= Michele@A Reader’s Respite´s last blog ..Book Smackdown! =-.
That’s it. I’m buying it. Book buying bans are made to be broken anyways, right? This one just sounds too good to pass up.
.-= Trisha´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: The Awards Pages =-.
I think this needs to be my next Kindle purchase. Between this review and Jackie’s review (and that woman is not an easy sell) I’m so there. I have been convinced by the mighty, persuasive Rebecca.
.-= Sandy´s last blog ..Writing an Audio book review =-.
I’m so looking forward to this one, although I fear it will add immeasurably to my TBR list; I’ve already picked up some of his backlist with this future obsession in mind. Great to hear that you were so impressed!
.-= Buried In Print´s last blog ..Ever-evolving TBR list =-.
I’ve really tried books like this before, and I always end up disappointed. It’s too close to being considered dystopian, and that entire genre makes me itchy and gives me nightmares.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..The Perfect Character’s Flaw =-.
You totally are! Mieville makes it easy to accept and understand his world.
What? You mean I finally wrote a post that didn’t send you running to the bookstore? WIN. Now read it!
The title sums it up! Enjoyed our little discussion last night.
.-= Ronnica´s last blog ..We Are the Champions =-.
I absolutely LOVE this book! It blew my mind– especially the ending. Great review!
.-= Shallee´s last blog ..Why YA? =-.
As did I! Thanks so much for joining in.
What genre does this one fall into then? In your opinion?
Unseeing people, huh? I do that every day. I’ve gotten good.
Ti´s last [type] ..Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
I’d call it literary light-fantasy, plus a mystery. I mean, the story is a mystery, but the rest is, well, not.
Everytime I read a review of this book, the description makes my head hurt. I’m not sure I’m ready for this one.
Jenners´s last [type] ..Question of the Week: Recommending Books, Part 1
You can doooo eeeet!
Holy CRAP. Mieville comes up with some great concepts. I love this idea, and I have an episode of Fringe playing through my head after reading that review.
Andi´s last [type] ..Good Book: The Good Earth
Wow–I totally would have passed on this one had it not been for your review. Even your tweets were scaring me a little at first. But I love movies that make me want to go back and watch again to see if I can figure out what I just saw. A book that does the same thing to me definitely screams “read me.”
Lisa´s last [type] .."The Poisonwood Bible"
I loved this book! So glad it’s getting more praise. I was absolutely fascinated by the world that Mieville creates here and while I was reading it I couldn’t help but gab about it to people around me, trying to explain the premise.
Christy´s last [type] ..Recent Arrivals and a Bookstore Story
I just read a essay about this book on the Millions and I remembered you talking about it on Twitter. I’m definitely picking it up… once I get through the existing stack of books.
Ashley´s last [type] ..Summer Reading Lists From Your Favorite YA-Childrens Authors
This book was recommended by one of my blog readers. I’m meaning to go to Borders and snatch a copy. But with me, “meaning” has so many different meanings, and in the end, I forget to do the things I mean. I wish I could read a book a month. Heck, a book a year would be great. Why is it that there are those who enjoy a great book, like The City and The City, while others only rely on short snippets of a lot of information?
CJ Radek´s last [type] ..Best Criminal Justice Schools in California – CA Colleges
[...] by China Mieville: The City and the City rocked my world, and I’ve been holding on to this one with this trip in mind. A book about a giant squid [...]
[...] It was a very, very good book. For some people who agree with me, check out reviews from Rebecca at The Book Lady’s Blog and Jackie at Farm Lane [...]
[...] In China Mieville’s mind-twisting The City and the City, two cities share the same physical space while the inhabitants of each “unsee” the buildings and activities of the other. A review from another blog summarizes this book neatly: http://www.thebookladysblog.com/2010/06/23/just-read-it-the-city-and-the-city-by-china-mieville/ [...]