Anonymous ID: 5aa3e0 Nov. 27, 2020, 10:34 p.m. No.11815479   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Just an interesting book I read a long time ago. I can't get this plot out of my mind. Two cities occupy the same space. I feel like this is America right now.

 

The City in the City by China Miéville

 

From the plot synopsis:

 

The City & the City takes place in the fictional Eastern European twin city-states of Besźel and Ul Qoma.

 

These two cities actually occupy much of the same geographical space, but via the volition of their citizens (and the threat of the secret power known as Breach), they are perceived as two different cities. A denizen of one city must dutifully "unsee" (that is, consciously erase from their mind or fade into the background) the denizens, buildings, and events taking place in the other city – even if they are an inch away. …

 

The origin of this odd situation is unclear, as it started at an uncertain time in the past, perhaps before recorded European history. Residents of the cities speak different languages that use distinct alphabets.

 

From a physical standpoint, little differentiates the two cities, other than slight differences of architecture, vehicles and styles of dress which citizens and visitors are trained to recognise. Those who do not know about the separation might naturally view the two cities as one. Because of this, an extra power is needed to keep the separation in place: this organisation is known as Breach.

 

When a 'breach' takes place (used here in the sense of 'breaching' the barrier between the two cities), Breach comes to take care of it. Members of the Breach organisation use their powers to take the breacher captive, and bring them to an unknown punishment. "Breachers", as they are called, disappear and are never seen again.