A Mask for the General

Rating:
Summary: Good, but flawed
Review: This is one of Lisa Goldstein's weaker works. Since it still garnered four stars from me, this is hardly a sign that it is a weak book.

The story takes place is a slightly futuristic America. The USA as this world knows it was ruined by a sudden economic collapse, and taken over by a dictator mostly known (Surprise) as the General. People with dissenting opinions are sent into 'rehab' facilities.

The story centers around two women living in this world. The first is Mary, young and idealistic, travelling to Berkely, California, where the Tribes, an underground culture centered around masks, has arisen. There she meets Layla, one of the mask-makers, and most respected among the Tribal folk. Mary is drawn to this world, but soon begins to fear that Layla has gone past the point of religious belief into troubling madness. Layla, in the meantime, tries to persuade Mary to follow her path.

The story succeeds best in its characters. Even bit parts are given their own motives, and attitudes. It also triumphs on occasion with the setting, the strange world in which these chracters live. It works the least well where Ms. Goldstein is obviously taking the Berkeley and San Francisco she knows, and tearing them down. But when she conjures up the small apartments, each of which reflects its owner, the mood of streets, then the world seems real enough to touch.

Unfortunately, this story does have weak spots, and most of them relate to plot. The story's end suits the underlying themes of the story perfectly, and suggests, without outright telling, how the future of the country will go, but leaves a great many threads dangling. The most obvious example is the character of Nick. A traitor to the Tribes, he is shown in strong detail in the first third, implying he will become important again, then vanishes, with only a few further references to hint at his fate. The book was so well-written overall that I can forgive these plot weaknesses, and would still recommend the book, but they do mar an otherwise exceedingly pleasant reading experience.