A Gambler's Anatomy: A Novel
Jonathan LethemThings don't go much better in Berlin. Bruno's flirtation with Madchen, the striking blonde he meets on the ferry, is inconclusive; the game at the unsettling Herr Kohler's mansion goes awry as his blot grows worse; he passes out & is sent to the local hospital, where he is given an extremely depressing diagnosis. Having run through Falk's money, Bruno turns to Stolarsky, who, for reasons of his own, agrees to fly Bruno to Berkeley, & to pay for the experimental surgery that might save his life.
Berkeley, where Bruno discovered his psychic abilities, & to which he vowed never to return. Amidst the patchouli flashbacks & Anarchist gambits of the local scene, between Tira's come-ons & Keith's machinations, Bruno confronts two existential questions: Is the gambler being played by life? And what if you're telepathic but it doesn't do you any good?