Chicago Loop

Wow, that was a terrible novel. So terrible. Easily the worst book I have read this year, perhaps for several years. I even went in with very low expectation purposely.

I have had a mixed bag of results with Theroux's fiction - his nonfiction - masterful, brilliant, and unmissable. His fiction - the kindest I can be is one I read was really good (Mosquito Coast) the other 3 or 4 were midrange 3 stars.

I don't even know what more to say about this one. It was supposed to be some sort of tense thriller, a lot of the action is off screen, and we are only fed clues as to actions or outcomes. The characters are unlikable (purposefully no doubt), annoying and make unexpected (and usually poor) decisions. The ending seemed choreographed from early on. For a theoretically sexually charged thriller it was lame and as mentioned above the miniscule amount was off screen, so it didn't even have the low level titillation that terribly written thrillers sometimes offer.

Maybe this was a common thing with 1990 published fiction? I don't really want to know.

I do know I regret the $2 I appear to have paid for it a few years ago.

1 sad star, and if we were allowed half stars it might have only got 1/2.
Recommend you give this a wide berth.