A Gentleman in Moscow

The library wanted this book back before I could finish it. My rating/review is based on finishing about 75% of it.

I thought “ghettoside” was a play on “homicide” – death caused by living in a ghetto (yeah, OK, I got the suffix wrong, “-cide” vs. “-side”). However, “ghettoside” is a place, as in “westside.”

Keep in mind that I read this book amidst almost daily news reports about portray trigger-happy police officers. The author, Jill Leovy, seems to be trying very hard to show that most cops are not racist. She focuses on Detective Tennelle, "that rare officer who actually lived the philosophy so long advanced by LAPD critics: he had chosen to live in the city he policed out of valor and a sense of responsibility.” This is one reason why cultural-socio-economic inequality is so difficult to overcome:

“To many officers, black residents of these ghettoside neighborhoods seemed so incomprehensibly perverse and hostile, so hell-bent on not making things better for themselves. And that same “community” bristled and postured in response. Yet beneath all this dysfunction, just as the cops yearned to be do-gooders who “helped people,” the “community” yearned for their help.”

Leovy describes how the community members take matters into their own hands when they feel they are not served by law enforcement officers or the criminal justice system; community justice frequently escalates into a cycle of retribution.

In addition to describing the murders, Leovy also provides a look at how ghettoside women are treated. Mothers seem to be granted some measure of respect, but girlfriends are temporary and disposable. One young man “expected blind obedience, and he mostly got it by merely implying the violence of which [his girlfriend] knew he was capable.” This made me think of how southern slave owners treated the enslaved--a terrible perpetuation of a terrible mindset.

The potential for this to be a really good science fiction novel exists. Unfortunately, it's just potential. In order to achieve that, it would need:
1. Another round of editing. A few tense shifts, some head hopping, and some grammar mistakes need to be shaken out. The beginning of the book could use a little work, especially keeping in mind the old writer's saying "show, don't tell".
2. The book needs to decide what it wants to be. Mostly, it looks like a coming of age science fiction adventure novel. But then, out of nowhere, two characters start quipping about man salad (in the context of eating...ewww!). This does not belong in a young adult novel. Then we suddenly get a bunch of romantic angst that feels quite out of place. This could be a good young adult coming of age adventure, a good science fiction comedy, or a good romantic hero story. But it can't be all three at once.
3. The setting needs more thought. It has futuristic technology. But it also has modern day things like Google, Snickers Bars, and new releases of modern video game series. It also apparently has events based on Roman history. A war is in progress, but who is fighting and why are never really covered. They're just generic rebels.

If those three things could be fixed, this would be at least 3 stars, probably 4. But alas, this e-book is already published.

Lots and lots of historical authenticity dulled by an unsophisticated writing style and overly simplistic plot.

I was very interested in learning about the Asian-American community in Seattle during the 1940's. Actually, in the context of this book, "Asian-American community" is a misnomer; the relationship between Chinese Henry and Japanese Keiko was unusual partly because the ethnic groups lived in such separate worlds.

My favorite character was Sheldon, the black musician who takes the father-figure role for Henry. My favorite scene took place in the jazz club, where Henry and Keiko manage to sneak in for a performance.

The book spent so much time with the pre-teen Henry that I started to think that this was a book written for young adults. Other contributing factors: short sentences, easy words, "flat" characters.

Perhaps this is me being overly sensitive (my father's family was in an internment camp), but I felt that the episodes focusing on Keiko's family in camp painted too-rosy a picture.

My final criticism is aimed at the publisher, and not the author: I read an Adobe Digital ebook edition that had far too many typos (punctuation errors).