Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 6/15/2009 + 1223 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 5

I've liked Theroux's writing for years - both his travel writing and fiction. Unfortunately, I haven't been keeping up with him for some time. The last book I read by him was "Hotel Honolulu" which I remember being an okay novel. I was a little mixed about "Blinding Light." I loved the premise of the novel with the main character, Slade Steadman (a travel writer like Theroux) traveling to Ecuador in search of a drug to give him some enlightenment so he can write about the experience. He gets more that he bargained for when he takes a different drug which makes him temporarily blind but unlocks his creativity and insight. The middle part of the novel details his effortless writing of his second book which is a tell-all confessional filled with loads of highly erotic experiences (this part of the novel got close to pornography). Then for me, the novel kind of went down hill - describing Steadman's socializing with the elite on Martha's Vineyard, including President Clinton, his book tour, his reliance on the drug and his abuses to others. The long-term effects of the drug seemed to be what he deserved. Overall, I would give this one a mild recommendation - I really did enjoy the first couple of parts of the novel including the beginnings in Ecuador and the erotic descriptions, but I think the book could have been cut by about 100 pages to make the second half of the book move along better.

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