Well, that was a rather satisfying read. I tried to stretch it out as best I could, but the story just wouldn’t wait. And now that I’m done, I think I want to talk about it. And then when I go somewhere to do just that – exclaim over the presence of Humbertus Bigend, or despair over the ultimate end of Pattern Recognition‘s footage – I realize that maybe it’s best to just let it percolate in my own space for a while. Maybe take some time to go back and pick out my favorite passages, like this one:
The maids, she discovered, had actually saved and folded the bubble wrap that had come in the box from Blue Ant. It was on the shelf in the closet. Instant tip-upgrade. She put the wrapping, the box, and the helmet on the tall kitchenette table.
Doing this, she noticed the Blue Ant figurine that had come with it, standing on one of the coffee tables. She’d leave that, of course. She looked back at it, and knew she couldn’t. This was some part of her that had never grown up, she felt. A grown-up would not be compelled to take this anthropomorphic piece of molded vinyl along when she left the room, but she knew she would. And she didn’t even like things like that. She wouldn’t leave it, though. She walked over and picked it up. She’d take it along and give it to someone, preferably a child. Less because she had any feeling for the thing, which was after all only a piece of marketing plastic, than because she herself wouldn’t have wanted to be left behind in a hotel room.
Perfect, really.
I’ve occasionally tried to explain my love for Pattern Recognition, Gibson’s book before this, as due in part to the fact that it did such a spot-on job of describing the world that my aspirationally cooler, more clever self inhabited. In Spook Country, however, it seemed as if Gibson had actually been following me around the past few years, weaving the story through (an absolutely perfect portrayal of) my favorite Union Square hotel lounge, the Beaux-Arts grandiosity of my local train station, and into my forays through the shipping lanes off Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
And Gibson did all this with a story that I’ve looked for, but not yet found anywhere.  Very, very satisfying. The only downside, now, is that I suppose I’ll have to wait another four or five years for something new.
Mike May
OK, that’s weird. This Gibson fellow must be following me around too. Or else he’s following you and you’re following me. For 2 years I worked in an office on Park Ave South that overlooked the W Union Square, and have enjoyed (literally) countless martinis in that same lounge (and amazing burgers at Olive’s – have you ever?). And every one of my bikes is from British Columbia, where I lived for two years during grad school. I’ll have to read this book, if only to give us something to talk about during the off-season.
MB
Yes, I’ve indulged my martini habit there more than a few times, myself. This veg has never experienced – but definitely heard about – the burgers there. My favorite food moment was getting a flatbread and cheese plate with a friend in the lounge, and then listening to the girls sitting across from us discuss the fattening nature of it. Like, oh my god Becky.
And yes, pick this book up. (In fact, start with Pattern Recognition – I’ll issue a money back guarantee on it.)
Cory Capron
The thing about Gibson is that every time I read him, I want to write like him. The thing I loved about Pattern is that he’s on the same geek frequency as I am. Damn near every obscure pop culture reference is something I’ve been into or known about.
I love how great he was at predicting viral advertising. I think 42 Entertainment uses his book as their bible.
I’ve got a backlog of books I’m plowing through now, but I can’t wait to read Spook Country. Glad you enjoyed it.
MB
I know *exactly* what you’re talking about, Cory. I’d considered holding off on reading this for precisely that reason – I’m working on something right now, and I didn’t want this seeping into it (I was also a little worried that we were covering similar ground – thankfully, we are not). But, weak willed reader than I am, I couldn’t hold off.
Same frequency, eh? So yeah, send your Buzz Rickson up this way when you get tired of it :)
Cory Capron
Ok, maybe not the fashion stuff (though I was the label hating teen in black).
Geek stuff like the comment about Hana-Bi. Various artists that got name dropped. That sort of thing.
Still, one of the things I really admire about Pattern was that it read like a fashion magazine. I hate fashion magazines, but I loved it! That’s something Chuck Palahniuk couldn’t pull off for me with Invisible Monsters.
MB
Great bit at Salon, right now, in which Gibson notes that we live in a world full of objects, so we might as well acknowledge it . . .