The novel “Gun, with Occasional Music” by Jonathan Lethem was published for the first time in 1994.

Conrad Metcalf finds himself involved in an investigation that is definitely out of the ordinary. The murder of a doctor whose beautiful wife he was shadowing is just the beginning of a case that is becoming more and more complex. As if the use of blends of drugs that affect memory isn’t enough to make the investigation difficult, it seems that nobody wants to find the murderer.

In the investigation Metcalf is so determined to carry on, he gets into trouble with a powerful local gangster and in particular with a kangaroo who works for him. As if that weren’t enough, the local inquisitors seem to want to find a scapegoat and don’t like the interference a private inquisitor. Solving the case could cost even all the karma he still has with the bad consequences that would ensue.

Initially, reading  “Gun, with Occasional Music” you may have the impression that the first novel by Jonathan Lethem is a classic hard-boiled novel in which a particular slang is used, especially because it begins with a quote from the novel “Playback” by Raymond Chandler. Going ahead with its reading, it becomes clear that the story is set in a future where many things have changed and not for the better.

“Gun, with Occasional Music” is narrated in first person from the point of view of its protagonist Conrad Metcalf so the reader is thrown in the middle of a story full of science fiction elements that are normal for him. As a consequence, this is the kind of novel where you have to discover the elements of its fictional universe through the characters’ comments, without long explanations.

For this reason, it’s not a novel easy to read. The reader must try to identify himself with Conrad Metcalf to try to understand the situation he’s living and his future world through his point of view. Jonathan Lethem continuously provides details about it so you have to try to put them together to get a overall idea.

Soon, you realize that the future in which “Gun, with Occasional Music” is set tends to a dystopia and is getting worse, the term inquisitor isn’t a slang word, as the references to animals, which are products of genetic engineering. Gradually, you will discover various elements of this future world that from our point of view are certainly not positive.

Conrad Metcalf is a typical protagonist of a hard-boiled novel with some science fiction variations. He’s a former inquisitor who moved to a private activity but his relationship with his former colleagues is complex and his karma is at dangerously low levels. He’s stuck with a female neuro-sexual apparatus having exchanged his one with his girlfriend but she left the city.

“Gun, with Occasional Music” isn’t simply a hard-boiled novel with some science fiction elements because they’re crucial in the plot. It’s easy to see inspiration in particular to Philip K. Dick: Jonathan Lethem is a big fan of him and drew inspiration also for some of his later stories from him.

In fact, the future world described in “Gun, with Occasional Music” is dystopian and there’s a progressive mind control over the population. Asking questions is seen more and more as rude and above all there are more and more perfected drugs to control emotions and alter the memory.

Considering the sources of inspiration, it’s clear that “Gun, with Occasional Music” can’t be a novel full of cheerful situations nor characters with happy lives or a happy ending. There are witty dialogues and there’s humor but it’s typically black or bitter so it ends up stressing the depressing atmosphere existing in the story.

I’m far from an expert about hard-boiled novels so I can’t judge in a comprehensive manner that part of “Gun, with Occasional Music”. I found the science fiction part intriguing, though certainly not original, as it’s put in a way that seems natural within the plot. However, the really complex plot doesn’t help the reading and the characters aren’t particularly developed.

In my opinion, “Gun, with Occasional Music” is overall a good novel that takes some commitment to be read because of its complexity. For this reason, probably those already familiar with the hard-boiled genre and the Philip K. Dick’s stories will be able to appreciate it the most.