Book of Numbers by Joshua Cohen

Joshua Cohen has put together something really hefty in Book of Numbers. It’s work, though it’s enthralling work if you can get it. We start with a vaguely autobiographical thread, with struggling writer-narrator Joshua Cohen, and get snared with him into another. He’s tasked with ghostwriting a reclusive tech mogul’s life story. The pop cultural touchstones quickly make themselves available – Google, Jobs, Assange – though they don’t fetter Cohen. He’s nimble with them.

Ghostwriter and ghostwritten are, in fact, both Joshua Cohens. From this conceit, real-life Cohen wades out into a very particular philosophical morass. In this age of information ubiquity, what becomes of the self? Are we divided or replicated? Perhaps we’re eroded, every ripple of binary shearing off another wee bit. Or maybe we’re spliced one into another – two Joshua Cohens meld. Of course these concerns are occupying myriad other thinkers and creators. Cohen’s work stands out because it’s witty. It’s got intellectual clout and a rare comic grace.

Though Book of Numbers’ sprawl is awe-inspiring, it can sometimes feel loose. There’s emails at the end that verge on 'tl;dr'. And, perhaps because this is such a bold piece of work, it’s problematic in parts. Cohen’s drawing of partner Rach, for instance, is rarely sympathetic. Still, Book of Numbers gamely flirts with greatness. Nothing coy about it.