Booklog 33/2022: Lavie Tidhar: The Escapement

[jacey]

The Stranger rides across a surreal landscape/dreamscape, the Escapement, in search of a magical flower that will save the life of his son. In a parallel world, a man sits by the hospital bed of a comatose child on life support. Occasionally the Stranger is catapulted into that unbearably sad world… or is it the other way around? The title is double edged. The Escapement is not just a world in which the Stranger can take refuge, but an escapement is a mechanism which regulates clockwork, and indeed the clock is ticking as the search for the flower is hijacked by events taking place in a Western style setting. Expect clowns and gunfights. This novel manages to be both lyrical and downright weird while heading for, perhaps, the most fitting conclusion