The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem

[Paluka]

I just finished this book, and was hoping some others who have read it will want to talk about it. This thread will contain spoilers .

My biggest issue with the book right now is that it seems to be broken into 3 distinct parts, and I only really enjoyed the first part. The depiction of 70s Brooklyn was fascinating, and I really found all the characters interesting. But, not only did the story get stranger as time went by, I also found that the characters became much less interesting. Dylan as an adult was didn't feel like the same kid I'd been reading about, I no longer even found myself rooting for him. He went from being atypical to almost stereotypical. The middle part of the book which really introduced both the superpowers and the sexual relationship between Dylan and Mingus was more interesting than the adult years, but still felt weird and somewhat forced.
I know my comments about the book make it sound like I didn't really enjoy it, but that is only because the second half of the book let me down. At the 200 page mark I felt like I was reading a book I was going to think about and enjoy for a long long time.
Any thoughts?

[El Diablo]

Paluka,

I didn't read your post since you put the spoiler note in there, so you may have addressed these two questions. Anyhow, just wanted to say that his book Motherless Brooklyn is excellent. Have you read it? Do you recommend Fortress of Solitude?

[edfurlong]

I had to go look at my bookshelf because I was confused, I had no clue these were by the same author. I really enjoyed Motherless Brooklyn, but I put The Fortress of Solitude down after 100 pages, I pretty much never do that. I guess I'll give it another go.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
Paluka,

I didn't read your post since you put the spoiler note in there, so you may have addressed these two questions. Anyhow, just wanted to say that his book Motherless Brooklyn is excellent. Have you read it? Do you recommend Fortress of Solitude?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not actually sure yet if I recommend it yet. That is why I was looking for some discussion. I have not read Motherless Brooklyn

[The DaveR]

I think you're right in that the childhood sections are far better than the adult sections, but I still liked the whole very much. I liked the section in Berkeley if only for reasons of personal nostalgia. FWIW, I think Motherless Brooklyn is much better.

[Wynton]

Paluka,

I agree with your comments. The sections about the kids I thought were brilliant; I don't think I've seen a book depict kids of that era so realistically ever before.

But the section when they were adults simply was not nearly as captivating. And I even wonder whether the book would have been better without the entire superhero angle.

[Phat Mack]

I liked the first two thirds of FOS. The Brooklyn childhood stuff was was very evocative, and the middle part about the estrangement of friends after growing up was interesting, but to me, FOS was a book in search of an ending that just never delivered. For the last 100 pages or so the plot seemed to be circling, looking for a place to land. And as far as I could tell, it never found it. The final scenes in the prison, which I suppose were meant to provide some sort of denouement, or at least closure of some kind, seemed so contrived and were such a lame ending to such a good beginning that I threw the book across the room. I think Lethem may have lost his way in this one, or maybe he just wanted to get the writing over with.

There was an article in the NYT Book Review a year ago in which the article's writer offered the opinion that Lethem could be our greatest SciFi author if he'd concentrate on SciFi, and drop all the literary crap. I wonder if this book disproves his theory. I think this book would have been a lot better if he'd have dropped the flying businss and just told it as a straight story with a beginning, a middle and an ending. (And I really like Lethem's other "SciFi" stuff.)

jmo

[gumpzilla]

Spoilers ahead

I thought this book was pretty solid. The superpower bits didn't really seem like they belonged, as everybody else is saying.

It's been a while since I've read this, but as for the adult vs. child bit, I think it's supposed to seem like a pretty big divergence from what you would have expected from Dylan as a kid. The incident at Mingus's that concludes the first half seems like it clearly had a pretty big impact on Dylan, and as a result of it he starts displaying more stereotypical white guilt type behavior. I wish I could remember the specifics a little better because I think I could point to particular things on this front.

[turnipmonster]

spoilers below

I thought the superhero thing was really going to turn into something cool, but didn't really deliver. agree the grownup section was just weird, he gets all whiny and weird and doesn't seem at all like the kid who grew up in brooklyn.

like everyone I loved the early chapters, lethem grew up in gowanus and knows the area very well.

as a book it really doesn't compare to motherless brooklyn at all, which is a masterpiece. my favorite of his science fiction books is "gun, with occasional music" although I enjoyed "as she climbed across the table" also.

[The DaveR]

Lethem has a new book out here.

He also did something odd for the film rights.