A Google user
The problem with Chronic City, which is well-written and relatively engaging, is the narrator, Chase. He's supposed to be a vacuous pretty boy, but his narration is the opposite of that -- it's observant and deep and relatively full of references and allusions. I assume Chase's narrator voice is Lethem's, but the character whose thoughts those are supposed to be doesn't sync up with the thoughts -- the narration, which is basically the book, is not believable in that sense, and that level of unbelievability was a lingering problem, at least for me. Also, the parts that Chase does not narrate have an uncomfortable fit in the whole -- there is a narrator (Chase) and, once in a while, when Lethem needs things to happen that Chase doesn't know about, a ghost narration in approximately the same voice. Overall, I thought the book was good, but not great, and, I have to admit, in the wake of the pr and the surprisingly adoring mainstream reviews, a bit of a disappointment. Back to Roberto Bolano for me!