The release of the brilliantly written
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time brought wide-spread interest and awareness about people with Asperger's Syndrome. Ostensibly a 'detective' story narrated by teenager Christopher Boone, Haddon's novel allows readers to experience a different and fascinating view of the world that is rarely encountered in conventional narrative fiction.
Elizabeth Moon's equally original
The Speed of Dark makes for an interesting comparison to Haddon's novel, especially as the book is set in a future world. Lou Arrendale, Moon's primary narrator, is a conscientious worker, a talented sportsman and a car and home owner. He also happens to be autistic. Despite this so-called 'handicap' Lou is reasonably comfortable in his world, until he has to face an extraordinary life-changing decision.
The Speed of Dark is not your average 'sci-fi' novel. Elizabeth Moon fans will be familiar with her more 'conventional' sci-fi/fantasy creations (such as Ky in the 'Vatta's War novels) and her collaboration with fantasy author Ann McCaffrey. However,
The Speed of Dark is science fiction only in the sense that it deals with
possible scientific breakthroughs and is set in the near future - its protagonists deal very much with the real world in which they are based. Moon's vision of forty years in the future is remarkably similar to how we live today - the protagonists still shop in the supermarket, they still drive vehicles to get to work, and they still have to deal with the difficulties of human interaction. However, medical science has surged ahead and it is upon this sci-fi concept that the novel hinges.
Having undergone a new treatment for autism when a child, Moon's protagonist Lou is able to 'cope' with the sensory overload of the world around him; he is able to live alone, go to work and balance interaction with his fellow autistic co-workers and his non-autistic companions. However, Lou finds his ordered and carefully considered world tipped radically when his boss 'insists' that his autistic employees accept a recently discovered 'treatment' that cures autism - a treatment that would (possibly) make autistic people 'normal'.
Much of the novel focusses on the complex question, 'what is normal anyway? And why is it so important for people to be like everyone else and fit in? In the
Curious Incident Christopher faces unacceptable behaviour masquerading as normalcy, and has to come to terms with a violent act from someone he has learned to trust. In
The Speed of Dark, Lou has to contend with the vicious behaviour of a jealous stalker, and the selfish and narrow-minded actions of a controlling and insensitive boss.
The reader gradually becomes aware that Lou sees the world with far more clarity and sensitivity than many of the 'normal' people with whom he interacts. As with Haddon's Christopher, Lou is often not just more perceptive, but often more likeable, more reasonable and sometimes more accessible, which subverts conventional beliefs about those with Asperger's Syndrome or autism.
The book's intriguing title relates to one of the unanswered questions in the novel. Lou continually questions that if we have a 'speed of light' then what is the speed of dark? Does it even have a speed, or is it just 'nothing' as his 'normal' friends insist? This question parallels the 'what is normal' issue as Lou discovers that it is he and his autistic friends who seem to behave with far more decency and integrity that the 'normal' people with whom he interacts - so why change? It becomes obvious that those who are 'normal' do not think to question the obvious - they do not see the point to questioning the speed of dark. Yet there is some part of Lou that yearns to be 'normal', to feel normal and to be able to interact 'normally' in a social situation.
A bonus to the book is its unusual addendum - a 'conversation' with the author. As the mother of an autistic teenager, Elizabeth Moon has first-hand experience of many of the issues she raises, and this provides a fascinating added insight into the autistic condition and her take on morality issues regarding medical miracle 'cures'. The 'interviewer' in the addendum compares
The Speed of Dark to Daniel Keyes's classic
Flowers for Algernon, where a so-called 'idiot' is transformed by scientific intervention in to a genius. It is up to the reader to decide the possible tragic implications of this concept, especially with relation to Lou Arrendale in
The Speed of Dark. Be warned - you may find the ending of the novel somewhat unexpected.
The novel deservedly won the 2004 Nebula award for best novel, and is recommended for anyone - sci-fi fan or not.
Other Elizabeth Moon titles:
Tenth anniversary edition - With a new Introduction by the author
In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most
genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during
infancy. Lou Arrendale, a high-functioning autistic adult, is a
member of the lost generation, born at the wrong time to reap the
rewards of medical science. He lives a low-key, independent life.
But then he is offered a chance to try a brand-new experimental
"cure" for his condition. With this treatment Lou would think and
act and "be" just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free
of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still love the same
classical music--with its complications and resolutions? Would he
still see the same colors and patterns in the world--shades and
hues that others cannot see? Most important, would he still love
Marjory, a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings?
Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might
completely change the way he views the world . . . and the very
essence of who he is.
Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, "The Speed of
Dark" is a gripping journey into the mind of an autistic person as
he struggles with profound questions of humanity and matters of the
heart.
Praise for "The Speed of Dark"
"Splendid and graceful . . . A lot of novels promise to change the
way a reader sees the world; "The Speed of Dark "actually
does."--"The Washington Post Book World"
" A] beautiful and moving story . . . Elizabeth] Moon is the
mother of an autistic teenager and her love is apparent in the
story of Lou. He makes a deep and lasting impact on the reader
while showing a different way of looking at the world."--"The
Denver Post"
"Every once in a while, you come across a book that is both an
important literary achievement and a completely and utterly
absorbing reading experience--a book with provocative ideas and an
equally compelling story. Such a book is "The Speed of
Dark.""--Fort Lauderdale "Sun-Sentinel"
"A remarkable journey that] takes us into the mind of an autistic
with a terrible choice: become normal or remain an alien on his own
planet."--Mary Doria Russell, author of "The Sparrow"
"A powerful portrait . . . an engaging journey into the dark edges
that define the self."--"The Seattle Times"
General
| Imprint: |
Ballantine Books
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Release date: |
March 2004 |
| First published: |
March 2004 |
| Authors: |
Elizabeth Moon
|
| Dimensions: |
211 x 140 x 21mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
| Pages: |
345 |
| Edition: |
1st trade pbk. ed |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-345-44754-8 |
| Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General & literary fiction >
Modern fiction
Promotions
|
| LSN: |
0-345-44754-9 |
| Barcode: |
9780345447548 |
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