It was my complete love of "Gods without Men" that lead me to explore the earlier novels of Mr. Kunzru. "The Impressionist" was interesting enough to read all the way through, but not quite satisfying. The protagonist might be meant to be a shape-shifter, but following through his adventures you feel that the connections that a person would have at their core go missing. I felt that the novel presented me with three main adventures and involved three different characters. Kunzru's strengths are prominent in this, his first novel. He is descriptive, without being flowery, and connects his characters creatively and thoughtfully to the deeper themes of the modern world. Kunzru weaves in racism, colonialism and imperialism, sexual identity and the class system. Kunzru is not a dull writer, although I felt that his main character became dull as the adventures wore on. I would think that looking back at a first novel , when your introduction to the writer was further in his development, puts the novelist at a disadvantage. If you have not read "Gods without Men", do so. This first novel is for hardcore collectors only...
I would give it a small rejoice and a small rant at the character who has a habit of forgetting his past.
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