China Mieville "The City and the City"

What just happened.  That was what I thought after reading the first chapter.  That was what I was thinking when I finished the book.  I finished it a few days ago and still do not know the answer, which might be the point, or it might not, if you see what I mean.

It is essentially a detective story.  No.  It is essentially a science fiction story about parallel co-existing universes that overlap. No. It is a social commentary that uses a story telling tool like a bludgeon. No.  Obviously I do not really know what it is.  It does however, follow the path of a police officer, Borlu,  investigating a murder that took place in his city, or  the other city?  His city overlaps and mingles with another city, though you have to try hard not to look, or at least look like you are looking, because that is a really serious crime, even when compared to Murder.  The police officer, Borlu,  investigates and you almost learn about the city he lives in, and the city he does not live in but sees and ignores the whole time.

This book is completely mad.  I am still not sure if the author wants us to think that the two coexisting cities are  the result of people simply behaving as if they do, behavior after all on some things can define reality.  Or is there a cosmic event shaped twisted reality warp that makes it possible.  You never know and he probably has no intention to let you know. There was a funny moment when there was a reference to Harry Potter that threw me for a loop.  The book could easily up to that point have been written in the sixties/seventies by a Kafka obsessed hippy with too ready access to mind altering chemicals, but no, it was written in the age of ipads, mp3 players and other technokookery.

Here is the deal.  This is a book that many people would hate.  It is vastly confusing and murky.  It lacks that clear tone of story telling so common to science fiction.  It did draw me in though.  I quite enjoyed it.  It was a ride.  A friend told me though that this might be one of the sanest and most straightforward of the books written by the man, so here goes for the next one which involves I believe dream bugs that are dead, but still actually alive and infesting a parallel dimension.