Osama

Joe lives in a world where, apparently, there has been no terrorism. But novels of such terror, by a vigilante called Osama Bin Laden, have a global cult following. Detective Joe meets a young lady who asks him to find the books' author, Mike Longshott. This he attempts, financed by the mysterious woman. The trail takes him to Paris, London, and New York. Along the way, he meets people warning him off his task, both verbally and physically. One of his contacts appears to be murdered, yet there is no report in the media. Joe never remembers sleeping, and his bed never seems to have been disturbed. He hears voices and sees shadows (supposedly 'refugees'). He struggles with what is happening.

So goes the first five parts of the novel. Neatly, even curtly written. An enjoyable read. However, the final part has Joe in Kabul where the storyline is anything but neatly or curtly tied up. The quote on the front cover comparing this novel to PK Dick's "paranoid alternate-history fantasies" seems appropriate. Yet whereas PKD left you thinking on one or two very obvious loose ends as to what actually was going on, Lavie Tidhur left me uncertain (who are his opponents and why are they opposing him, why is Longshott writing the OBL character as a vigilante, are Joe and the women refugees?), but also uncaring.