Identify this book

Russell Banks, Rule Of The Bone, disliked by Michiko Kakutani.

Awesome thanks so much!

> Basic plot: Similar to 1984 in that the main character (male) lives in a society where personal freedoms like enjoying books and art and non-propagandist television aren't allowed. Somehow this character decides or discovers that there is a secret headquarters where a group of people make all the rules, and if he can infiltrate it, that he can make some change (don't remember what he intended to do). He finds the headquarters, and rather than the folks in it arresting him or kicking him out or whatever, they welcome him with open arms and invite him to join, just because he was smart enough (or whatever) to find them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Perfect_Day ???

That's the one I thought of when I first read this thread (just now). I read the wiki entry yesterday, when looking up stuff about Ira Levin. Think I'll check some of his books, also Richard Condon's.

So did you like it?

Me?

It's been a long time since I read it but I remember it being a bit clunkier than the others. His thing seems to be to put the twist in the *middle* of the book, leaving it to echo around the second half, and I don't think he does that as well here as any of his other books really. And I think it's the only one not set in the real world.