The City & the City: Chapter 18 Summary & Analysis

Borlú tells Dhatt about the call from Jaris, and Dhatt is angry that he didn’t mention anything earlier. Borlú shoots back that there are plenty of things Dhatt hasn’t mentioned to him too. He asks that Dhatt put an arrest warrant out for Jaris, although he suspects that he’s already fled the country. Dhatt suggests that Jaris could be guilty of Mahalia’s murder, but Borlú points out that if this were true, it wouldn’t have made sense for him to call with the tip. Borlú adds that judging from the way Jaris spoke about Mahalia, it seems that “he was into her.”

Dhatt pauses the conversation and insists that the two of them put their differences aside and work together, saying, “You’re police. I’m police. Let’s fix this.” He takes Borlú to a cop bar near the office. They discuss the case, and what to make of the Orciny issue. While they agree that Orciny doesn’t exist, they must nonetheless consider the “cults and lunatics” who believe it does. In the midst of their discussion, some of Dhatt’s colleagues from the militsya come over, seemingly wanting to provoke a fight with Borlú. Dhatt assures them that Borlú is indeed a “Besź wanker,” but ushers Borlú away before they can say anything else.

As they get to the car, they discuss the shifting fortunes of Besźel and Ul Qoma. Dhatt comments that while Ul Qoma is more prosperous than Besźel now, this will inevitably not last. He takes Borlú to meet his wife, Yallya, at their apartment. Borlú is shocked to realize that grosstopically, he and Dhatt live less than a mile away from each other. Yallya asks Borlú about the case as she and Dhatt bring him food. Yallya asks him lots of questions, which he does his best to answer, and he stays later than he originally planned. As Borlú goes to leave, Dhatt asks if he’s alright. Borlú thanks Dhatt for the evening and says that he’s fine, but wants to go for a walk, which surprises Dhatt because it is raining. 

Borlú walks to his own street, wondering if he will run into a neighbor who will go to greet him before unseeing him after noticing his visitor’s badge. Such interactions are notoriously awkward. However, everyone is inside. Borlú notices that he is being watched by an old woman. He can’t tell what city she is in. Freaked out, he hurries away. Back at the hotel, he asks for a 5am wakeup call, and also prints off a piece of paper with the message “Urgent. Come ASAP. Don’t call.” The next morning, he goes back to Bol Ye’an, wearing Ul Qoman-style dress with his visitor’s pass only just visible.

Borlú hands a young homeless child some money, asking her to approach the nearby security guards and ask them to phone someone, then read out the message. He makes her promise not to reveal who he is. After she completes the task, Borlú sees Aikam walk out. He follows Aikam from the site, sneaking onto the bus behind him, careful not to be seen. Eventually, Aikam reaches a poor housing project, where he runs up a concrete staircase and knocks on a door. Borlú listens to a frantic conversation between Aikam and a woman. Announcing his presence, Borlú reveals that the message Aikam received was not from her. The woman starts crying, and Aikam addresses her as Yolanda.