Jonathan Lethem loves language and it shows. Writers who use
beautiful descriptions and show a deep understanding of words can
make any story more interesting. This is certainly true of THE
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE. While the book seemed slow and too deliberate
in some places, the author's skill kept me reading. Lethem's
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN might deserve the description tour de
force, and GUN, WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC showed lots of
imagination.

I'm usually not interested in stories of boys growing up, but
Lethem made me pay attention to this one. There are reminders here
of everything from THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY by
Michael Chabon to Steve Kluger's LAST DAYS OF SUMMER --- about
growing up in New York in the '50s, '60s and '70s, friendships, and
figuring out the codes of childhood.

We meet Dylan Ebdus, who is adored by his mother, at the age of
five. Unfortunately the mother, a potentially major character,
leaves the scene fairly early in the book. Alexander Ebdus, Dylan's
father, is a slightly obsessed artist who for a long time never
seems to know he has a son who could use his attention. Alexander
ends up as a cover artist for science fiction paperbacks, which
makes him more interesting to me --- in part because, while there
is no Hugo for "Best New Artist," an award Alexander wins, I'm very
familiar with the Hugo Awards and there is even one in my house
(though it's not mine).

Dylan seems to slide through much of life. Mingus, the aware hip
black kid, befriends him. This takes courage --- Dylan doesn't have
anything unique to offer, and in their neighborhood in Brooklyn,
black kids have the edge on things that are hip and cool. Time and
again, their friendship saves Dylan from uncomfortable situations.
He soon develops an odd fascination with becoming a superhero,
taken over by Mingus; it's a strong subplot that gives a slightly
otherworldly feel to this otherwise straightforward story.

Lethem does a very nice job of mixing the real world with his
imaginary one. I often stopped to try to remember a record, an
event, or a school before realizing that that one wasn't
real. There are markers along the way of musical and political
events. I thought Lethem's markers of funk music and graffiti
tagging were a little too superficial in the scheme of black and
white differences in the last fifty years. This isn't to say that
Lethem's story is stereotypical. However, Dylan succeeds while
Mingus is doomed; Dylan is encouraged to go to a magnet high school
(even as his father seems oblivious to it all), but Mingus slides
by and falls into drugs and oblivion, in no small part thanks to
his father's drug habits.

When Lethem writes at his best, he takes you completely into his
fictional world. The "Liner Notes" section, which brings you
up-to-date, is wonderfully written, albeit too long. But you
believe you heard all those R&B and soul songs that
Barrett Rude Jr. sang with "The Subtle Distinctions" (I love
that name).

However, I never quite got a handle on Dylan. I saw much of him
through a scrim, never quite connecting. Dylan doesn't seem to
develop much definition over the years. He has few passions or
strong beliefs. I was compelled to read every beautifully written
word, although I don't think I've ever met a character who seemed
so lost about his life. The book trails off at the end, confused
like its main character. I read all 450 plus pages in two days. I'm
just not completely sure why.