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Obsessed with dreams so far; presumably to set up the reality vs. hallucination idea that might come with a virtual reality, “virtual light”, mcguffin subplot idea. Very slick, very stylish, slower and broader than Neuromancer. Shockingly accurate to 2025 reality, at least in the small details vs the big broad strokes.

….And of course, “I looked at him.”

Eyes, looks, communication outside of language, perception; perceiving. Seeing is believing after all. To glimpse is to understand. Deception is at the core of these characters - self, others; and the stakes are high: “We had, in effect, been playing a deadly game and he was the winner. He was the winner in spite of the fact that I had cheated to win.”

“Giovanni sharply caught my hand, conveying to me with an angry flick of his eyelash the intelligence that the least these dirty old men could do was pay.”

“And he looked at me with malice and mockery and something else; he looked at me as though I were very far away. “

“Giovanni looked at me. And this look made me feel that no one in my life had ever looked at me directly before.”

Baldwin is obsessed with the looks we give each other - knowing, latent with hidden meaning, furtive glances:

“there was a click of speculation infinitesimally double behind her eyes when she looked at me. In a moment, however, she knows that she will understand it all.”

“He and Guillaume, Giovanni still smiling, exchanged a look which I would not have been able to read even if I had dared to try;”

TBC

uhhhhhh this is an absolute banger so far……?????

Feels like a Herculean achievement

Ok we’re heating up a little bit

120 pages in and this is much more a long essay on theology and philosophy than it is a novel. How is this so highly regarded

What the fuck is this guy talking about

A little bit cloud atlas, a little bit (not too much) underworld, a little bit show off music nerd, a little bit sci fi