More broadly, the genre has felt appropriately ubiquitous in a tumultuous and unsettling political era.
Gnomon, to be released Jan. 9, takes place in a post-Brexit Britain.
In a characteristic passage from the book, Harkaways narrator explains how they operate.
Credit: Knopf
Harkaways style in this particular section is formal and resigned familiar for stories of similar configs.
Yet its anything but indicative of what Harkaway does here.
The book centers on Mielikki Neith, a by-the-book Inspector whos investigating ex-author Diana Hunters death in police custody.
Colin McPherson/Corbis via Getty Images
The narrative goes where you least expect.
By the third or fourth sans serif transition, you get used to this zigzagging rhythm.
Its difficult to whittleGnomondown to a single guiding idea.
And then bit by bit I got rid of them …
I got tired of voices in my head and eyes peering over my shoulder.
Its somethingGnomonitself does again and again, in its own way, across its nearly 700 pages.
So its all the more disappointing that Harkaway cant quite execute that mission cant quite match his herculean ambitions.
The plotting takes on a strangely amateurish structure, propelled by dramatic incident and yet granted a high importance.
The periodic philosophizing, whether from the narrator or a particular character, quickly loses its luster.
