I went into 'The Arrest' with great hopes at finding a new love. It had the makings of something fascinating, my favourite of settings -an apocalypse. We enter a world where most technology has ceased to function, where a town has been isolated from the world for 5 years only to see the arrival of a bizarre and functioning vehicle... how could it go wrong?

Most unfortunately, this is a book in which neither the main character nor the reader had any idea of what was happening until slapped in the face with the resolution. The plot didn't happen to Journeyman, it didn't happen because of Journeyman; it happened around Journeyman. The most frustrating thing about this is that it had all the makings of something interesting and then did nothing with it. The ending was, for me, entirely foreseeable from about halfway through the book, and was entirely coordinated by other members of the town, and despite the labour he put into it he didn't bother to uncover what was actually going on.

Beyond an absolute lack of a plot, the protagonist also lacked a personality, seemingly existing only to bounce between his sister and Peter Todbaum - both of which would have made more interesting main characters. Even the local sex offender he made deliveries to was more compelling than Journeyman himself. Generally, I'm a fan of emotionally detached and neutral characters, but only when this apathy is accompanied by some sort of agency. Unfortunately, Journeyman made no real attempt to become an active member of any story, let alone his own, making behind his self-designated title even more ridiculous.

This book wasn't for me, and I wouldn't recommend it. However, I would like to thank Netgalley and Johnathan Lethem for giving me an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.