''Checkpoint'' is an
American novel
American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...
written by
Nicholson Baker
Nicholson Baker (born January 7, 1957) is an American novelist and essayist. His fiction generally de-emphasizes narrative in favor of careful description and characterization. His early novels such as '' The Mezzanine'' and ''Room Temperature'' w ...
in 2004.
Plot summary
The main characters are two men, Jay and Ben. The novel consists of their dialogues in a hotel room in Washington, D.C., in May 2004. The story begins with Jay asking Ben to go to his hotel room. From that conversation it is inferred that Jay is depressed: the women in his life have abandoned him; he has lost his job as a high school teacher and now works as a day labourer; he has declared
bankruptcy; and spends his days reading blogs.
Jay explains to Ben that he has decided he must, "for the good of humankind", assassinate President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, and
then kill himself. Ben, who symbolises American modern liberalism, spends his time trying to persuade Jay to cancel his "mission".
The novel ends inconclusively, the reader left unaware of whether or not Jay is going to go through with his plan.
Major themes
Jay spends most of his time denouncing the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
. Ben's principal argument against Jay's decision to assassinate Bush, in order to stop the war, is that killing him would provoke more bloodshed. Book reviewers and critics have identified Jay
The Extremities of Nicholson Baker - New York Times
/ref> as the political extremist in the argument of ''Checkpoint''.
See also
*'' Death of a President''
References
External links
A comprehensive list of reviews of ''Checkpoint''
2004 American novels
Cultural depictions of George W. Bush
Novels by Nicholson Baker
Novels set in Washington, D.C.
Novels set in hotels
Alfred A. Knopf books
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