I would describe this book as being like the diary of James Bond if he were a sociopath or like a series of Penthouse Forum letters written by George Orwell, but that would make it seem interesting. It is nothing more than a collection of fantasies and scenarios, some of them kinky, some of them downright degrading, into which Kosinski plugs his secret agent man, Tarden. If one man had done all that is described here, he would have had to have been globetrotting nonstop for the first sixty years of his life. He lives in mansions, he rents apartments, he buys houses, he goes to ski resorts, he lives in various countries under various identities, he seems to have unlimited wealth and friends and lovers, and yet it is never described how any of this is accumulated. This would be fine if the character progressed or, like in Kosinski's Steps, there were an overall theme connecting the fragments, but the character never changes, and there is no plot, no climax, nothing to speak of to signal that the book is going anywhere. Kosinski's writing is flat and emotionless, so no pleasure can even be gained from its fluidity. Kosinski must have been amused at all the situations described here. All the clever ways in which his character invaded others' lives. The only segment of the book that is involving, and which was likely drawn from Kosinski's own life, is the complicated ruse of false identities, forged letterheads, letters of commendation, and testimonies he uses to escape his totalitarian country, and this happens in the first forty pages. Novels about impostors and secret agents can be fascinating, as with the Ripley and Bond novels, but Cockpit is about as boring as a book can get.
Cockpit has a good premise, possibly a response to the image in popular fiction of the time of espionage as romantic, globe-trotting work. It's the story of a Slavic ex-spy who, like many soldiers, can't adjust properly to life outside "the Service". He can only form bonds with others through deceit, manipulation, and surveillance, so he ends up tormenting, extorting, and even murdering his friends and lovers. There's no strict plot, just series of anecdotes (not unlike its followup Blind Date) told by "Tarden", a trickster who probably deserves a place in the pantheon alongside Anansi, Brer Rabbit, and Kevin McCallister. His schemes escalate in convolution until they're nearly comical.This sounds far more interesting than it actually is. In execution it's nihilistic, monotonous, dated, and trashy. Kosinski's shocks are cheap, frequently involving adultery, prostitution, and rape, three activities he wags his finger at with equal vigor, as though he can't distinguish between a sin and a violent crime. Certain bits of it feel like retreads of other bits. Do we need more than one story about skiing competitions? Numerous instances of blackmail through photography? How many wives of industrial magnates can one protagonist possibly seduce? The novel's most memorable moment is its least typical: Tarden recounts a blooming friendship with a college roommate who ends up nearly killing him in a sudden schizophrenic episode.Cockpit has its compelling and disturbing moments, and I'm in love with Kosinski's eerie poker-faced style, but this is mostly sophomoric work.
What do You think about Cockpit (1998)?
As my very first meeting with Kosinski's work, this experience was like an emotional rollercoaster. A rollercoaster you can't get out of, cause it tights you to the bones. At times I despised him with open hatred and disgust and my eyes were this_close to burn the pages of that damned book. But every time I turned that new leaf spilled with arrogant, insolent moody letters, I was quickly enchanted, elusively seduced to the level of maximum respect and listening to his every word.Don't think high of yourself - you WILL agree with him. Eventually, you might fall in love. Very soon you will find yourself justifying every of his wrong moves and worshipping his ironic intellect. What is horrifying is that all the time you will know you are duped and manipulated into - crime - and you won't even care.Going through all miserly, primitive, beastly scenes Kosinski is teaching us not only about certain aspects of human nature but also about You. I believe that the sense of this "lecture" is not only to read the book and make judgments about character's doings, but also reading your own reactions, your own conclusions, and mostly emotions you are manipulated in, by the attitude and style of confident Kosinski's lines.So be careful and don't eagerly dive in without checking the safety of your breathing equipment.
—Morgane Zephyr
To be honest, this book is extremely fascinating to me - the way the protagonist, who we only know by the false name "Tarden", makes these meticulous, intricate plans in such ingenious ways is incredible. The section early on in the book where he plots his escape from his fascistic home country by taking advantage of their reverence for authority: he invents three diplomats from various high offices and manages to convince the entire government through subterfuge that he's being sent out of the
—Ray Dunsmore
What a strange and powerful book! Recommended for all those who feel powerless, defeated, or frustrated by the primary cultural institutions such as politics, jobs, sex, sports, marriage and family, and more. The way the author skewers and exposes the ridiculousness of sports and competition is particularly funny through his use of extreme irony. The book is essentially a set of many short stories but it is not presented that way. There are no section breaks at all, merely a capital letter which starts the next section. Each can be read independently, but the total effect, of course, is only appreciated by reading them all in sequence. It all adds up to a bittersweet statement of the power of individuality you won't soon forget.
—Chris
