Jeff's Thoughts

Open City was an intriguing exploration into human interaction and the human experience as a whole. Cole is masterful in entwining Julius’ experiences with the stories and places that he encounters. A well-rounded intellectual, Julius is a character who can be perceived as different and stand out in a world of other unique minded individuals. The situations that Julius finds himself in are interesting in the abstract, and the characters that Cole includes are memorable with incredible stories in their own right. The book does start off slow, yet it accelerates rapidly as the unique character and experiences begin to emerge. The best way to read Open City  is not as a novel, but instead as a collection of stories heard through the perspective of an outside narrator. All in all the book was incredible and is one that I would recommend others to read.