A Map of Nowhere is tightly crafted, well paced, and ingeniously devised around shifts between a fantasy game and real life. Nick moves between the dual roles of Joseph's friend and The Company's spy. In his fantasy role of weak and good Zephaniah, Nick must think in terms that oppose his gameplaying approach to life. The game concept resonates in Mr. and Mrs. Miller, who play their real-life fantasy of the perfect household. Members of The Company play a game of imagined loyalty to each other. Real-life contemporary problems are at the root of the novel, however, and characters remain believable while they evoke different types of values.

Gripping human qualities underlie Nick's playful questing, Joseph's moral downfall and remorse, Ruth's unhappiness and fierce stand for truth. Lesser characters like Livingstone and Parker, baby Susie and Thomas, are also deftly drawn with realistic motivations and behavior...