7/6

If I could put a kind of label on Gun, With Occasional Music, I would call a sci-fi detective novel. It combines traditional detective themes, reminiscent of The Big Sleep, with a futuristic world that reeks of metaphor. It is strange, but at the same time a slightly enjoyable read. My curiosity has been the catalyst of pushing through this book so far. I’m definitely thrown by the babyheads. I don’t really understand what exactly they are yet. The evolved animals are an abstract concept, but Lethem seems to cater the dialogue to just the right balance, allowing the reader to accept their presence. The most interesting aspect of the story, to me, is the drug use. Lethem uses the drugs as a mechanism in almost every chapter, and I think that it adds another dimension of reality to the story.

-Jason