Flicker, by Theodore Roszak

Loved this book; its one of those big, philosophical, why-are-we-here, state-of-the-planet, apocalypse-in-waiting, Chinese box epics that keeps you intrigued and makes you think all the way through - ultimately growing way beyond its default mystery novel landscape until its pretty close to the borders of science fiction or future-noir.

Its a book that provokes a variety of reactions. Its possible to see the entire exercise as a reactionary right-wing diatribe against half a century of liberalism - something that’s always likely to raise the hackles of an old liberal like me. And yet the author, disillusioned and cynical though he undoubtedly is, makes too many pertinent points about modern society and the direction in which screened entertainment has gone to dismiss its negativity glibly. You can understand why its been reprinted again almost 20 years after it was first published - its paranoid message seems even more pertinent in today’s multi-media, image-obsessed world than the pre-cable and internet world it could only imagine, but still managed to predict, when it was written.

However I can only really recommend it to movie buffs. Its a very long book that takes its own sweet time to unveil its more sinister elements. Most of the first 400 pages are a love affair to the history of the movies, often reading more like a high-end academic text on film theory and the literal mechanics of projection than a page-turning mystery thriller. Unless you have a deep love of cinema - and by that I mean the whole history of cinema rather than a simple liking for movies - this book is likely to leave you frustrated and impatient. Fortunately there’s a strong cross-over between movie geeks and literary geeks, so get ready to enjoy the playfulness with which Roszak constructs his alternative history of old Hollywood (Orson Welles admitting he was barely responsible for Citizen Kane anyone?) The author could have done with paying a bit more attention to his time-frames and cultural references, but this is a minor point.
I don’t re-read many books these days, but this one will certainly get lifted off the shelf again at some point in the future (unless 2014 is true that is!)