September 4, 2007

True Lies

“Samedi the Deafness,” by Jesse Ball

If you tell a lie and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Investigate the capacity of deception in Samedi the Deafness, the debut of the lyrical Jesse Ball, an author who plays his poetic prose on minor keys. Throw standard plot mechanics aside and cue darkness — this is one bizarre spy novel that teeters on surrealism.

The story begins with James Sim, an austere mnemonist who uses his photographic memory to record large volumes of data. He encounters a dying man in a park, and his last words plunge Sim into the depths of a national conspiracy.

When Sim gets kidnapped and taken to an asylum for chronic liars, he spends hours cracking ciphers, exploring secret passageways, and falling for an impish impostor (and her possible doppelganger).

From time to time, Sim loses track of reality — certainly you will, too. Ball cunningly gets the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up as you realize that falsehood is, indeed, easy.

It’s the truth that’s difficult.

Available online at randomhouse.com. For more information, go to samedithedeafness.com.