Jon Bassoff is the author of ten novels, several of which have been translated into French and German. His mountain-gothic novel, Corrosion, was nominated for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, France’s biggest crime fiction award, and his debut novel, The Disassembled Man, was recently adapted for the big screen. For his day job, Bassoff teaches high school English in Longmont, Colorado.
His latest novel is The Memory Ward.
At Electric Lit Bassoff tagged eight "novels set in strange unsettling towns that will haunt you." One title on the list:
The City and the City by China MiévilleRead about the other novels on the list at Electric Lit.
This trippy and surreal novel explores two cities, Besźel and Ul Qoma, which somehow occupy the same geographical space. The citizens of each city are trained from birth to “unsee” the other city, which is difficult considering the space and architecture are identical. This conscious separation is enforced by an unseen but terrifying authority called Breach, who punishes those who violate the boundaries between the two cities. Although it was published fifteen years ago, the novel is particularly timely considering the dual narratives that spread across our politics.
The City and the City is among Walter Mosley's five favorite books.
--Marshal Zeringue
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