This is one of those frustrating novels that leaves you immensely impressed yet somewhat disappointed. The impressive part is the way the author combines the mind-boggling philosophies of Heidegger and Derrida (yes, frigging Derrida!) into a fantasy regarding alternate realities, mind travel, and even a nail biting chase with gun-toting faux-CIA men and really evil KIDS (capitalization is intentional). Scarlett Thomas manages to tie in a number of ideas including theology and quantum mechanics into a tale that sends your mind into a tail-spin.The disappointing part is that, as great an idea it is, I never really felt for the heroine and didn't find myself all that involved. Perhaps the author goes for the mind-games a few times too many and she ends up losing the flow of the story. Whatever it was, I didn't really feel invested in the reading which is a requirement for this type of tale. Too much brain and not enough heart? Maybe. But I enjoyed this strange novel enough to get it three and a half stars and a mild recommendation.
