The cross-country adventure novel has an ethos of its own: long miles on endless highways, dingy lodging, sprawling plains, and strange characters. The wide-openness offers a unique kind of blank canvas and The Coincidence Engine, journalist Sam Leith’s debut novel, tries to generate something uncommon with the form. However, Leith’s combination of self-exploration, humor, and spy pursuit ultimately feels like a hodgepodge rather than a successful synthesis of ideas.
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