Review

Howard Siegel has written a wonderful novel that brings together a large cast of desperate characters all on their way to a tragic and unexpected denouement. Like dozens of airplanes taking off from around the globe with each being vectored by a hidden force towards some world-shaking convergence in the sky. The unseen air traffic controller in this case involves a bit of science fiction: an advanced functional MRI machine that can literally image what a person or animal is experiencing in their mind’s eye. The images revealed during periods of maximal distress are so horrifying that they lead observers to depression, suicide, and ultimately societal upheaval. Nowadays, the machine’s capabilities seem more science and less fiction owing to the growing precision of these psychic probes. The characters populating the story range from marine biologists, slaughterhouse workers, neuroscientists, lawyers, a televangelist, an autistic Israeli boy, and even the president’s daughter; essentially almost every conceivable mortal. All are convincingly portrayed, often engaging in dialog worthy of a screenwriter collaboration of Aaron Sorkin with Larry David. Action scenes take place in locations ranging from an undersea kelp forest to corporate board rooms, from a midwestern cow college to the Vatican. Everything moving inexorably toward a surprising and shattering climax. The plot moves with irony and subtle humor and frequently references contemporary events to make the story utterly believable. So much of the novel’s background is fact-based that it is often difficult to know when literary license is intruding into today’s “breaking news.”

While the story itself is believable and compelling, it more importantly serves as a backdrop for exploring some of the most troubling philosophical questions that have vexed human consciousness for thousands of years. Among these are: the ubiquitous and casual cruelty of the natural world and theodicy – the effort to explain how a purportedly all-powerful and all-merciful god should allow such atrocities to occur; the rights of non-human animals and how they are routinely and egregiously violated; and the duties we humans owe to those “lesser” beings with whom we share the planet. This is the true significance of the book, deploying a fictional narrative to illuminate horrible truths the majority of us would prefer to ignore. As such it deserves rightful attention, not so much because it entertains (although it certainly does) but because it stimulates thought that may bring about needed change.

George Bates: Professor of Veterinary Medical Technology at Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA