The unnamed, somewhat paranoid hero's experiences of "In-Between places" such as an airport baggage reclaim area, a hotel complex that exists solely to cater for bumped airline passengers, a rest stop, and a shopping mall, are achingly funny. But the humour takes increasingly dark turns: the "literary novel" is turned inside out as we encounter a plot to kidnap and replace the critic James Wood, an unknown play allegedly by Samuel Beckett (featuring...