Jonathan Lethem may very well be the first great writer of the 21st century.

With Lethem's latest work, You Don't Love Me Yet, he does not disappoint. For anyone who has read about Lethem's literary prowess since his first great work, Motherless Brooklyn -- and for those who have read what may be the first masterpiece literary event of this century, The Fortress of Solitude -- You Don't Love Me Yet will show that Lethem isn't the print version of a one-hit wonder.

Like any of Lethem's other works, this novel has a lot to do with music. Unlike some of his more serious works, however, Love focuses entirely on a fledgling Los Angeles rock band.

In a show of pacing that would make the most amateur feature filmmaker scream, but is totally acceptable -- and even appreciated -- in the world of literature, Lethem's third-person narrator does not reveal the name of the band nor a specific suggestion of one, until the end of the novel. In fact, the band does not play a show until three-quarters of the way through the book.

But once the band plays its show at a venue that was originally to be an artistic extravaganza of sorts for bass player Lucinda, Lethem truly shines in his description. The band's first show is a great example of modern fiction writing, and it proves that character dialogue is not always necessary to advance a scene.

Lethem does not shy away from using dialogue, however. Like Hemingway, Lethem lets his characters tell the story for extended periods during the scenes of the novel. If it weren't for the fact that the characters in this novel are Generation X, overeducated, nihilistic and slacker types, some of the things that the characters say would seem artificial. But Lethem is an expert at keeping things from going too far out of the boundaries of realism.

Out of all of the characters in the novel, the most eloquent figure in the novel is Carl, a man who begins a relationship of sorts with Lucinda, the character who could be considered the protagonist of the story.

For anyone who is a true fan of literature, the character of Carl will soon become a favorite. He is a mix between the Marquis de Sade, Al Goldstein and Henry Miller. Any debaucherous, yet erudite, soul will enjoy him and overall, the book, too. Grade: A

-- Reviewed by Steve Hughes