Nair is a witty guy, full of wisecracks as he spies and lies his way into a scheme to get rich somehow out of the wars in Sierra Leone and Uganda, countries full of Laughing Monsters. He reconnects with an African partner, Adriko, and off they go into their dangerous world of intrigue. Nair travels on a number of passports, and his identity becomes pretty hazy after a while. Adriko, too, gets his past and present mixed up, and then the two men’s lives get mingled in ungainly ways.
There are a lot of people after them, and the action is pretty dicey most of the time. Although this is not my favorite Denis Johnson (Train Dreams, since you asked.), but it’s entertaining and not too demanding. Great for a short plane ride.
