Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read this book once back in the 90s and wanted to bring it to one of my book groups for discussion. Thankfully they were more accepting of my choice than I have been of my own choice.

The first time I read this it stuck with me enough to make me want to read it again. This time through I can’t tell if it’s the fact that I’ve grown or changed in my tastes or if political times have changed and the things I thought were ‘cool’ at the time seem less so now.

There’s a lot of really interesting stuff in this future noir story. The main character might be considered trans… but might not be. I’m not sure. He is certainly broken and living in a gray area. There are animals that have been elevated to become a servant class – smart enough to work and understand things, but not enough to become full first class citizens. There is constant drug use and abuse (although this might be a remnant of the 1980s). There are babyheads, and I’m not sure what the hell or why. I’m really not.

This is also a dystopian story. It is a society where asking questions is frowned upon. Watch your color screen with soothing music and be happy. If you’re not happy, take more drugs and stop asking questions.

As much as I might have enjoyed this once upon a time, something has changed. There is a lot to discuss in this story so I definitely recommend it for that. If noir / odd is your thing, this book is for you.



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