I really struggled with this book. The main character, Ferguson, a black American calling himself DJ Darky, wants to find an amazing jazzman, the Schwa, to play over his beat in order to endorse it as perfect. I am not even sure what some of this means. Ferguson's ostensible aim is to break down racial stereotypes and allow black people to move on from them, which I have a lot of sympathy for, but there are two places where horrific harm to animals is described without any compassion at all and the description of women who sleep with men of other races as 'putrefying their race' is personally offensive. Other than that, I feel like Patrick Neate's Guardian review really sums up what I feel about this book: "I fear this novel, with no real people to care about or plot to cling to, is simply a flawed undertaking." A lot of the time I wasn't sure I really understood what was going on, although set in Berlin it feels very very American, and I had nothing in common with any of the characters - the women especially seemed to be mostly there as sex objects with no real character enlargement. I only bothered to finish it as it was a Book Club read.

Giving to Poodlesister to pass on to sakirmo, who has it on their wishlist, at the Convention in Tampere. Thanks Poodlesister!

Catching this before I release it later at the Convention venue with another wishlist book for sakirmo.

Putting on the RABCK table at the Tampere Convention.

Join UK Bookcrossers at the BCUK Durham Unconvention from 20-22 September 2024

The book is here, many thanks to both greenbadger and Poodlesister for delivering it!!