Iain Banks
once compared science fiction to the organ and the aptly misnamed
mainstream fiction to the piano. I like works for the organ, and that
shows in the kind of mainstream I read. DeLillo's Cosmopolis puts
Banks' claim to the test.
The protagonist is the head of a successful business empire, fabulously rich and very young. The book follows one of his days by the minute. He is betting a significant proportion of his wealth against the yen, but the yen keeps rising against all expectations.
The storyline does not skip time much, but the story still kept me on the edge with new surprises every dozen pages. Slowly the momentum builds towards an unavoidable ending, but of course there is a twist in the end. Cosmopolis is hardly a comfortable read, but the catharsis is brought on by the vitriol.
Category: General. Recommendation: strong read.