In

Beszel and Ul Quoma are not really alternatives, not exactly divided cities: they are coexisting, intermingled sibling cities. They exist almost in the same urban space, sometimes overlapping (“crosshatched”), always close. The rule that constitutes them is political and psychological rather than physical. The citizens of neither city may see – or hear – those of the other; they must “unsee”; the worst crime is “breach”, policed by a mysterious organization of that name. Hearing a car backfire in the other city (but it might be in the same physical street), for instance, is “somatic breach”. Miéville pursues and explains the complexities at every opportunity – kids’ games daring to approach the boundaries; the procedures governing…

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Citation: Palmer, Christopher. "The City & The City". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 February 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34374, accessed 25 November 2024.]