Checkpoint

Nicholas Baker’s Checkpoint, a short novel which is essentially a conversation between a deranged man who wants to assassinate George W. Bush and a friend who tries to talk him out of it, is at the center of a debate between those who think it’s scummy or pornography and those who say, well, it’s neither but, as a work of fiction, it’s not that great either. For instance, Ron thinks it’s “weak, and to some extent you might even call it lazy.” The Complete Review says it’s a “truly a small novel.”