The Speed of Dark
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 4
I've read some of Elizabeth Moon's military space-opera books before, and enjoyed them - but this is quite a different - and more serious - effort - which resulted in her winning the Nebula Award for 2003.
Influenced by her life with an autistic son, The Speed of Dark tells the story of Lou, a high-functioning autistic adult who is socially (and otherwise) handicapped, but very intelligent, even brilliant, and employed by a pharmaceutical company for his unusual ability to see and understand chemical patterns. However, a new boss comes into Lou's company who neither understands nor likes the autistic employees and is viciously opposed to the steps that have been taken to meet their needs. A new, experimental, treatment for autism is being talked about, and he wants to force the autistic employees into being the first to go to human trials.
There may be an ulterior - and sinister - motive behind this pressure, but the main concern of the book is the ethics behind this 'cure' - what makes an individual themselves, and is it the right thing to do to change someone to make them fit society?
Meanwhile, Lou is also subject to an escalating series of harassment and attacks by a stalker - a rejected and obviously deranged former member of a group that Lou practices fencing with. It's obvious who the culprit is, but Lou, with less understanding of human behavior, is not capable of realizing that a so-called 'friend' may not actually be a friend.
Moon here points out that even so-called 'normal' people may actually be more dysfunctional than autistics. Many interesting issues are raised by the book (which made it a good choice for book club discussion) but I felt like Bear's own feeling are conflicted, and that came through in the book, resulting in a somewhat confused 'message.' Are autistic people 'fine the way they are' or would the benefits conferred by a cure (not least among them the ability to live independently, without assistance), outweigh the possible negative of the cured individual not being exactly the same person? As Lou points out, 'we are all a different person every day' as our experiences change us. But the ending is still bittersweet.
Also, although this book was very interesting, I flt it really suffered in comparison to 'Flowers for Algernon' - which is is EXTREMELY similar to. To the point that it feels like the author said, "I want to rewrite 'Flowers For Algernon', but with autistic people instead of retarded people." But, the older book is just better. It's more tightly and beautifully structured, and has a deeper emotional impact.
Influenced by her life with an autistic son, The Speed of Dark tells the story of Lou, a high-functioning autistic adult who is socially (and otherwise) handicapped, but very intelligent, even brilliant, and employed by a pharmaceutical company for his unusual ability to see and understand chemical patterns. However, a new boss comes into Lou's company who neither understands nor likes the autistic employees and is viciously opposed to the steps that have been taken to meet their needs. A new, experimental, treatment for autism is being talked about, and he wants to force the autistic employees into being the first to go to human trials.
There may be an ulterior - and sinister - motive behind this pressure, but the main concern of the book is the ethics behind this 'cure' - what makes an individual themselves, and is it the right thing to do to change someone to make them fit society?
Meanwhile, Lou is also subject to an escalating series of harassment and attacks by a stalker - a rejected and obviously deranged former member of a group that Lou practices fencing with. It's obvious who the culprit is, but Lou, with less understanding of human behavior, is not capable of realizing that a so-called 'friend' may not actually be a friend.
Moon here points out that even so-called 'normal' people may actually be more dysfunctional than autistics. Many interesting issues are raised by the book (which made it a good choice for book club discussion) but I felt like Bear's own feeling are conflicted, and that came through in the book, resulting in a somewhat confused 'message.' Are autistic people 'fine the way they are' or would the benefits conferred by a cure (not least among them the ability to live independently, without assistance), outweigh the possible negative of the cured individual not being exactly the same person? As Lou points out, 'we are all a different person every day' as our experiences change us. But the ending is still bittersweet.
Also, although this book was very interesting, I flt it really suffered in comparison to 'Flowers for Algernon' - which is is EXTREMELY similar to. To the point that it feels like the author said, "I want to rewrite 'Flowers For Algernon', but with autistic people instead of retarded people." But, the older book is just better. It's more tightly and beautifully structured, and has a deeper emotional impact.
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