The flavour of this bourbon-drenched book is equal parts hardboiled noir, detective story, sci-fi dystopia and political satire. Somehow author Robert North distils this into a most stunning concoction that intrigues and horrifies. I am not a huge fan of science fiction but I LOVED this book.
North's world has a Stepford vibe in its surface pristine beauty. Problems and Solutions is a nightmare vision of the near future, full of plastic smiles and all-seeing eyes. To say it would make a fabulous movie is an understatement. Jon Gage, every inch the anti-hero, is by some distance the coolest cat in the whole of science fiction. Handsome, complex, apparently unflappable but inwardly tormented, Gage is the perfect man for this creepy, dangerous social and political landscape. Almost killed in an early scene, he reacts by switching radio stations, while the beautiful blonde in his convertible looks on in horror.
Problems and Solutions is very much a hot-blooded book, and Robert North might just have written the sexiest science fiction novel ever. I loved the noirish atmosphere that drifts over scenes like smoke in a 40s thriller, with tones of Chandler and Chinatown. I also enjoyed the alpha-male touches - this is no arena for cowards, after all. Yet I really appreciated the quieter points, which elevate this magnificent novel to something close to art: Gage's melancholic recollection of his neurotic mother's favouritism towards his older half-brother; the spine-chilling moment when Gage casually purchases red roses just after literally signing an enemy's death warrant; and his grim realization that even money cannot buy him the fresh start he craves.
Above all, this is a book about stoic individualism in the face of crushing State intrusion and pressure to conform. Its bleak cynicism is relieved by darkly humorous moments, showing flashes of insight and humanity. I enjoyed the description of the First Lady, 'whose latest round of plastic surgery had left the countenance of a Disney-cat villainess, minus the whiskers.' Also the Sydney Greenstreet-type depiction of a bloated mobster, with his salty and surreal language.
The internecine relations between Jon Gage and his half-brother Neil point the way towards future books. This "dark family saga" element reminded me of The Sopranos, and North is close to his best on this - festering, simmering resentments beyond repair. Problems and Solutions is highly original, even unique - a class apart from most other novels I've read recently. Five stars? I'd give it ten!
