Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
by Philip K. Dick

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Book Reviews of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said

Book Review: Sympathy for the Devil Cop
Summary: 5 Stars

One of PKD's chief critics has divided the man's work into about four periods, and calls Flow My Tears the transition into the last one. What puts Flow My Tears at the nexus point between two great periods is that it wraps up the author's interest in thriller-style plotting and surreal story devices, and brings very much to the forefront his concern with, of all things, love.

As Jason Taverner moves through a dangerous world, it eventually becomes clear that he can't possibly survive without the help of a great many people, few of whom recognize him and all of whom place themselves in serious jeopardy just by speaking to him. And then it turns out that even his greatest and most powerful enemy has a heart that can be broken.

PKD was always on the side of the regular guy, so it's not too surprising that the rich and famous protagonist gets little sympathy. Instead, the book seems to be on the side of the folks he meets, including barflies, neurotics, simple craftspeople and activists. They all try so hard to live with hope, even when there is none, and that includes the police - turns out the system tends to victimize them, too. So when they capture the TV star Jason Taverner, despite the fear they inspire in him, it turns out they're really not that much of a threat. Well, of course not; in Flow My Tears, the villain is the system, not the cops.

Perhaps this is why some other reviewers have been disappointed in the book's ending, and they have a point. Flow My Tears does indeed lose power when Jason Taverner, a bright but not very nice guy, meets the police general Felix Buckman, and after all the running and terror it turns out that General Buckman isn't so dangerous after all. Well, that doesn't bother me too much because PKD pulls off a neat trick and reestablishes the story's power - he shifts his attention from Taverner to Buckman and you realize that Flow My Tears was never Taverner's story to begin with. We should have known. Buckman is, after all, the title character, the weeping policeman.

Poor guy - as the story ends he's lost just about everything he has ever cared about (it's rather surprising to learn that he cares about anything, being our presumptive hero's nemesis and all). Sobbing, he reaches out to the first human he can find, gets some comfort and understanding from him in a very moving way, and determines to reshape his life. I get choked up every time I read it.

Okay, okay, PKD wasn't the world's greatest technician and even his best work got a little careless at times, but his audience loves him because he usually told them that their struggles were not in vain, that their lives meant something to him if to no one else, and that the machinery of the world was, in the end, weaker than they were. In his best work I feel like he's given me permission to feel sad when I'm hurt, and that's nowhere more true than in Flow My Tears.

Benshlomo says, The mechanics are important, but the heart is vital.

Summary of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said

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