Finally, a Close Reading of Checkpoint

I cannot, of course, claim any objective neutrality when it comes to my colleague in Book Babe badgering, Mark Sarvas, but I'll come out in favor of his review of Checkpoint anyhow.

There’s a long, vainglorious history of would-be assassins capturing their testimony for the world at large, and Jay’s desire to do so plants him firmly in that tradition. At the same time, the novel can be read as a transcript of a tape recorded conversation – a transcript presumably found after an unspecified tragic event. Checkpoint is rife with such ambiguities of intention and design, which makes it stimulating cocktail conversation but unsatisfying literature. It’s a book that feels largely tossed off in a cathartic, passionate rush. But Baker is a writer of intelligence and skill, and Checkpoint is not without interest on a number of levels.