Cover image for book

I was swayed into reading this by rave reviews from other writers, especially Adam Roberts. The historical setting (Jazz Age Midwest) is not that interesting to me, which means both that I was in no hurry to pick up a book set there (or in an alternate version thereof), and that I do not have the references to pick up the departures from our own timeline.

I’m glad I did read it, though! For a start, Francis Spufford is able to bring a setting to life with just a few deft strokes, revealing enough detail without overwhelming. In fact, he resisted the temptation to include the Jonbar Point in the story, except very tangentially, instead explaining it in a footnote.

This really reminded me of Red Plenty, with its mixture of idealism and realism. Who knows whether the Cahokia of 2024 would have fallen to cynical reality as the Soviet Union did, or whether it might have continued along the hopeful lines that Joe Barrow helped to set up in this book?

🖼️  Cover image from publisher’s website