Wala Kita is a black professor of mathematics, specifically, a professor of Nothing. He is approached by billionaire John Sill and offered a lot of money to consult on Nothing, i.e. his area of expertise, to help Sill with his dream of becoming a Bond villain. Oh, and Wala has a one-legged bulldog named Trigo.
Did DR. NO make sense? Possibly. Possibly not. Does that matter? No. Did I love it? Yes!
This is the second of Everett's works I've read, after last years' Booker-shortlisted, THE TREES. It is full of the same black, wacky humour and excellent, ridiculous dialogue, but in content and substance, this was a very different experience to reading THE TREES.
Following a man who's passion is talking about Nothing - which is different to "not anything" by the way -, who can only dream if he's with his one-legged canine-companion, and who sees the world through the scope of mathematical formulas, the best way to enjoy this book is to go with the flow, not expect to understand every sentence. For me, this meant it took a few chapters to get into it, but it was completely worth it.
It is a laugh-out loud, fun satire about money and power, in particular in the US. As with THE TREES, Everett creates humour out of serious subjects, such as violence, corruption and racism. The latter is less central in this book than THE TREES, although one of the best scenes features Wala being pulled over by a white police officer.
I will say, this book won't be for everyone, given the frequency of rambly paragraphs about mathematics and philosophy. It is a thriller at its heart but does not resemble any crime book I've ever read. If you enjoy satire, Bond movies, or experimental prose, if you are a fan of Everett's writing or want to try something totally different, then I would highly recommend trying DR. NO.
A mad, brilliant, hilarious, dark, thrilling, unconventional thriller, with excellent dialogue and brilliant characters. Everett is a unique writer and for my money, one of the best authors around. I loved it.
P.s. Trigo is the star of the show
