Verdict: A must read

The Land Across by Gene Wolfe is narrated by an oddly passive young American who decides to write the first-ever travel guide for an unnamed European nation with a reputation for detaining foreign visitors.  The narrator is arrested, has his passport confiscated, and is imprisoned.  Out on day release, he encounters a haunted house and a mysterious man in black before being kidnapped to broadcast anti-government sentiment, and imprisoned again.  He is released, and finds himself immersed in a conflict between disturbing supernatural forces and an authoritarian dictatorship.  On the surface, The Land Across seems disjointed, bulging at the seams with everything from Vlad the Impaler to a charismatic dictator.  Underneath, it is a searing political and provocative indictment of ignorance.

Something is wrong with our narrator.  He presents himself as a travel guide writer, but his narration is poorly worded and at times nonsensical.  We don’t learn he is Grafton until halfway through the book, when a member of the secret police names him.  When confronting the oppressive politics of the country, Grafton can only offer lame arguments, and is passive when repeatedly mistreated.  Is he who he says he is?  Why is he so passive?  Is he telling the truth about the events of the book?  Is he even American?

The great beauty of The Land Across is that it is simultaneously open to multiple interpretations, despite being less than three hundred pages long.  Maybe Grafton is an American, so ignorant of world politics that he believes whatever members of the dictatorial state tell him.  Maybe he is lying about who he is to manipulate the reader.  Maybe as his narration deteriorates, something supernatural is taking hold over him.

The only significant flaw of the novel is that the first few chapters are not as engaging as they could be.  It takes a while for the story to come into focus.  However, the book is well worth the investment.  The Land Across is a great read for fans of classic literature and those looking for a provocative, challenging read.