''The Dewey Decimal System'' is a 2011 science fiction/ noir novel by

Nathan Larson Nathan Larson may refer to: *Nathan Larson (musician), American musician * Nathan Larson (criminal), American white supremacist and convicted felon See also *Nate Larson Nate Larson (born March 16, 1978) is a Baltimore-based artist and photograph ...

. It was first published by Akashic Books.

Synopsis

In a post-apocalyptic New York City, an amnesiac veteran – nicknamed "Dewey Decimal" for his self-imposed task of reorganizing the books in the remains of the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

– is an enforcer for the city's district attorney.

Reception

'' PopMatters'' lauded Larson's characterization, and stated that Decimal's many flaws – in addition to amnesia, he also has obsessive-compulsive disorder – make him an archetypical

private eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...

.Selective Amnesia, OCD Ticks and Other Useful Character Flaws in 'The Dewey Decimal System'
by Jimmy Callaway, at '' PopMatters''; published April 21, 2011; retrieved June 3, 2019 '' The A.V. Club'' praised the novel's premise and setting, with "patches of roughhewn poetry", but overall found it to be "frustrating" and "stilted (and) self-conscious", stating that Larson had insufficient "storytelling skill to match (the novel's) voice and vision".Nathan Larson: ''The Dewey Decimal System''
reviewed by Jason Heller, at '' The A.V. Club''; published May 5, 2011; retrieved June 3, 2019 '' Publishers Weekly'' felt that the relationships between characters "fail(ed) to engage", and that the "violence too often substitute(d) for plot coherence". The Dewey Decimal System
reviewed at '' Publishers Weekly''; published May 14, 2011; retrieved June 3, 2019

Origins

Larson has said that the book's genesis was the image of a "beautifully dressed black man, asleep on the floor of the Rose Reading Room in the New York Public Library main branch", and that the character of Dewey Decimal is based partly on his cousins and grandfather (who were all veterans), and partly on a homeless man of Larson's acquaintance named "Chicago" (who "slept rough but dressed like a mod squad Desmond Dekker type").Who Wants to Live in a Fucking Utopia?: An Interview with Nathan Larson
by Jim Ruland, in the '' Los Angeles Review of Books''; published December 14, 2015; retrieved June 3, 2019

References

Dystopian novels 2011 American novels American post-apocalyptic novels Novels set in New York City Akashic Books books {{2010s-specf-novel-stub