Osama [hc] [Hardcover]

'Osama' is a novel that ought not to work. The idea of Osama bin Laden as the protagonist of a pulp-fiction series called 'Osama bin Laden - Vigilante' is as audacious as it is controversial. Yet this is what Lavie Tidhar has done.

OK, it's a little more complicated that than that. Joe, a private detective and narrator of the tale, is hired (by the inevitable attractive woman) to find the author of the 'Vigilante' novels. He sets off on a quest to find the implausibly named Mike Longshott, and the closer he gets, the more he realises that something strange is going on.

All the genre tropes are here. Whisky, hat, cigarettes and wisecracks, all feature. There are mysterious forces at work trying to prevent Joe from reaching his goal, but he tenaciously sniffs out every lead. He's the type of PI who takes fists to a gunfight, yet somehow stays alive. So on one level, there's not a lot new here, but this book has a lot of levels.

Firstly, there are the excerpts from Mike Longshott's novels that Joe reads as he searches for him. These are semi-fictional accounts of real-life Al Qaeda plots and bombings; they are well rendered and compelling. Then there is the fact that the world Joe lives in is subtly different from our own. I won't spoil how, but Tidhar feathers in teasing observations, that hint at where we might be, and what is really going on.

The work as a whole reminded me of Auster's The New York Trilogy and Mieville's The City & The City, but I enjoyed 'Osama' much more. It's more readable than either of them. Tidhar never forgets to be entertaining, even whilst deep in his metaphysical constructs. He examines our responses to terrorism, as individuals, and by the institutions that represent us. The whole novel can be viewed as an investigation into the fallout of being involved in a terrorist attack, yet it is full of wit and humour. This type of layered reality novel normally leaves me cold, but whilst I wouldn't pretend to have understood all of Osama's nuances, there wasn't a single point at which I thought this was a novel I didn't want to read.

The hardback is beautifully packaged with a gloriously tactile cover, featuring terrific and evocative art. The production values between the covers match that on the outside. 'Osama' is a novel that defies expectations. A peculiar between-worlds narrative, detailing notorious acts of terrorism investigated by a classic noir gumshoe, it's a mix that could have been an unholy mess. Instead, it's a compelling mystery with a handle on the state of the world. Highly recommended.

Beautiful writing and a concept which intrigues. In a world where terrorism only exists in doubtful fiction private detective Joe sets out to find the author of the Osama novels. The quest takes him from his safe and comfortable world into worlds of pain and near madness. The book mixes philosophy with crime action in the science fiction possibilities of alternate worlds. My only concern was that the ending was a bit trite after all the potentials suggested in the story. Well worth a read.

Lavie uses language like no other writer I've encountered. It's pulp and the highest-brow intellectualism at the same time. In amongst mundane descriptions of table tops and furniture, he drops amazing limes of poetry as if they were no more important than the ring left by a coffee cup.

And the plotting is masterly. Exposition and travel handled deftly, like an expert card shark. A strong thread of questions pulled me from page to page.

I'm not sure what to think of the woman who hires Joe, the main character. Certainly I did feel a lack of defined female characters, but haven't yet decided if I think there's a lack of defined characters in general. Not due to poor writing, but due to the protagonist's world view, and the world he's in.

Never-the-less, a beautiful book.