Martin Amis portrays Salman Rushdie, Madonna, and Donald Trump with unparalleled openness, writing with a special lightness about John Lennon, always brilliantly addressing the body, and being devastating in his rejection of death, its worries, and humiliations. His voice takes on a sentimental depth when he tells stories about the royal family, he accompanies Tony Blair to Angela Merkel, witnesses the simultaneous influx of Oktoberfest visitors and refugees in Munich, and writes with analytical sharpness about Madonna, nuclear armament, and the war against clichés. Every sentence snaps into place with fresh and intense precision. Martin Amis has the unique ability to take the reader along, as if his essays are adventures best enjoyed in pairs.