China Miéville

This is an alternative-world novel in the tradition of Philip K. Dick. The setting is a divided city, or rather two cities, Beszel and Ul Qoma. Each is a city-state with its own language and political system. The world seems to be a parallel-universe 1990’s – the USA and various countries are mentioned. The location is perhaps somewhere in the Balkans, but that’s not important.

The two cities partially intersect in the same physical place. The novel begins in Beszel. It is illegal to notice things in the other city, in this case Ul Qoma. Certain roads are cross-hatched, so the next pedestrian could be in your city or in the other city. Clothing, design, and even the way a person walks all yield subtle signals as to which city a person is in. Residents are brought up knowing how to “unsee” the people and objects of the other city – and if for an instant they misread the cues, they avert their gaze with embarassment.

This conceit begs to be interpreted as an allegory – perhaps of attitudes towards the homeless, or perhaps of the unseen third world workers in sweat shops a thousand miles away. The novel doesn’t linger on the mechanics of the setting, but quickly gathers pace like any thriller. A body is discovered, a maverick cop sets out to investigate.

It’s a great read. The taboo of “unseeing” adds a strange force to the story. Even the writing style slows and becomes elliptical when such matters are discussed. Then the pace picks again and you follow the devious twists through the city and the other city and what lies between them.