The City & the City by China Miéville - review by Markus McDowell

This is a fascinating read and an innovative concept, playing with ideas of societal separation and “other.” It posits a city that contains two different inhabitants of two different countries, who are not on the best of terms. Some buildings are one, some the other. Shared areas and encounters require “unseeing,” that is, ignoring anything from the “other” country. Each has its own government, society, style of dress, food, and actions. One can travel from one “city” to the other, but it requires passports, permission, and passing through a particular building and gates designed for travel between the cities. A mysterious group, “Breach,” takes action when someone “breaches” (or seems to breach) the divisions and “sees” instead of “unsees.”

In this environment, a police investigator is assigned to a murder that appears to have involved a breach. or maybe no.

While a reader might be concerned that such a novel addressing “other” might become politically or socially preachy, the author does not fall into that trap. This is a crime drama-mystery, with a unique setting. Miéville simply presents the cultural and social situation as it exists in this fictional world, as a matter-of-fact. Most characters accept it and have sincere reasons for doing so (as they would in the real world), some struggle with some of the problems or attitude it causes, and a few are radically opposed to it or want even more radical division (both of the latter groups involve some violent means).

Primarily, this is an excellent and unique crime mystery story, set in an innovatively conceptualized world, which only adds to the mystery and the story. Plot, characterization, and style are excellent. Secondarily, it is literary art as it should be—the reader is left to ponder and struggle with some concepts about the social ramifications of what divides us (good and bad reasons for both), without the author intruding to tell us what we should think about such a complex and multi-sided moral issue.

One of the best I have read in years. Highly recommended.