Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (UK) (15 May 2009)
ISBN-10: 1405000171
ISBN-13: 978-1405000178
Copy: Bought On-Line
Reviewer: Yagiz
When the body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary, decaying city of Besźel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger, and more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger. Borlú must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other. With shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984 , "The City & The City" is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights.
On the surface, The City & The City is a detective novel. It is told in the first-person and its narrator is Tyador Borlú of the Besźel Extreme Crime Squad. Borlú investigates the murder of a young foreign woman. Her body is found in Besźel but the investigation slowly reveals that the case spans both cities. As the case progresses, the focus of the story shifts to the setting. For a while, the reader doesn't really comprehend how exactly these two cities are connected. In the beginning it is easy to suspect various possibilities, especially for the readers who already know how unpredictable Miéville's imagination can be.
The readers who have read the author's previous books may be surprised or even disappointed in the lack of strongly weird and fantastical traits. As Miéville seems to like to experiment with different concepts in his books, one may expect to encounter highly surreal aspects. However the setting and its execution are what make this book unique. Furthermore the characters are very satisfactory. As usual, the prose and the author's style don't disappoint.
I also think that The City & The City is a thought-provoking book. Before moving to a relatively small Irish city, I had only lived in very large cities, including Istanbul, the fourth largest city in the world with its 13 million inhabitants. Miéville made me think about the cities contained in these metropolises. I'm not only talking about China Town or Little Italy, but he made me think about the inner-cities with financial, cultural, religious or educational frontiers set by their inhabitants. It was about the beggar or the drunkard that we unsee in the corner of a street or about the districts we avoid at all costs.
With his amazing imagination and talent, Miéville continues to be unconventional. His astonishing ability to confuse and surprise his readers persists in his award-winning The City & The City. I would highly recommend this truly unique book.
Plot: 9
Characters: 9
Style: 9
Overall 9/10
The City & the City is my first experience with Miéville and I came into this book not knowing what to expect. What I had after I had finished the book was a top-notch detective story with elements of the fantastical.
While it takes a while to figure out just what the heck is going on between the two cities, you do see a lot of parallels to life in a large city, I live in one of the largest cities in the world, Seoul. Seoul has one of the largest population by density and in order to survive the rigours of daily life you have to blank or zone out some of the seedier elements of the city. In The City & The City you are required to forget or un-see the other city or face the possibility of punishment, imprisonment, or far worse.
The City and the City was an exceptional detective novel with a great twist. It was a great introduction to Miéville and does an excellent job of showing us why it is the award winner that it is.
Plot: 8
Characters: 8
Style: 9
Overall 8.5/10
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