I read José Saramago's novel Blindness in September of last year. I had purchased the book years ago on a whim. At some point, I lost that copy and ended up buying a second copy. That then sat around for a year or two before I finally grabbed it off the shelf last September, determined to finally delve into the novel. The story sounded compelling to me the first time I read the synopsis. In the book, a man suddenly becomes blind while waiting in his car at a red light. The blindness causes him to see nothing but white. Soon, those who come into contact with him become blind, as well, and the condition spreads like fire, overtaking the entire city.
Saramago won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998, which seemed to bode well for the book, and my reading of the first few paragraphs confirmed the quality of the writing. So I started reading and was soon lost in Saramago's world. He is an incredible writer, surely one of the best working today.
This book is notable for a few different reasons. First of all, Saramago writes in a manner that can be quite daunting when you first start reading. He uses very few paragraphs and little punctuation. There are no quotation marks to mark the dialogue, no paragraph breaks for new speakers and many times the speaker is never even identified. It sounds like a complete mess and there are, indeed, times when the story becomes somewhat chaotic. However, it works brilliantly. Most of the time, you are able to follow what is happening, even though it can be confusing. You typically have an idea of who is speaking and even when you don't, it never feels wrong or frustrating. Furthermore, once you begin to lose yourself in the story, the style starts to feel natural and you'll find it relatively easy to follow.
Saramago uses this style of writing in all of his books, but it works particularly well with Blindness. The style creates a certain level of chaos that fits perfectly with the story at hand. There is an immediacy to the work, as well, that really helps plunge you into the nightmarish world that Saramago creates. In the story, once the blindness has become an epidemic, authorities start rounding up all the people infected and send them to an empty asylum, where they are forced to fend for themselves. No one resides in the asylum to assist them, as they would quickly become infected and blind. Instead, food is left outside for them each day and the premises are secured by armed guards with orders to kill anyone who tries to escape. Every day, new people who have been infected or exposed are brought to the asylum.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
Great review, Joel. I too have been meaning to check out Saramago for years, though of course I've not yet done it. The Cave has tempted me several times in the book store, but now I'm tempted to put Blindness at the top of my list.
I'm reminded here of two other novels, one literary and one "genre fiction": Lord of the Flies by William Golding and The Stand, by Stephen King. Both deal with a breakdown in society and with the humanity and evil that emerges in individuals when the chips are down and the rules have blown away like the wind. It looks as though Blindness captures a new and intriguing angle on this theme.
This book review has been selected for Advance.net. You’ll be able to find this and other Blog Critics reviews at such places at Cleveland.com’s Book Reviews column.
2 - Joel Caris
I would definitely recommend starting off with Blindness. It has to be one of his best books and you'll probably really like it. It will also give you a good introduction to the way he writes.
I thought The Stand did a great job of dealing with the crumbling of society. I haven't read Lord of the Flies yet, but that's one of the books I keep meaning to pick up. In terms of end of the world type books, another good one is Swan Song by Robert McCammon. Personally, I put that right up there with The Stand. A truly great book.
And thanks for selecting the review for Advance.net.
3 - Stephanie Blum
Admist reports of rape and murder in New Orleans in the chaotic aftermath of the August 2005 hurricane, I wonder if Mr. Saramago had a comment regarding the accuracy of his predictions as depicted in "Blindness"?
4 - Joel Caris
It would be interested to know what he thinks, Stephanie. I know the last few days I keep thinking about that book and marveling--in quite a bit of horror--that something almost exactly like that is happening here, in the United States.
It's incredible, and absolutely horrifying.
5 - Christopher Rollason
The remarks about Saramago's BLINDNESS are right on target. The similitudes are horrifying, and Saramago as a great artist has indeed predicted with uncanny accuracy what happens to 'civilisation' as soon as the infrastructure breaks down. Martial law, governmental indifference, marauding gangs, all kinds of abuses and the near-disappeance of basic humanity. I will soon be publishing an article about this novel comparing it with Orwell's '1984'. If you come across any comments by Saramago on New Orleans, please let me know.
6 - nathalie chabiland
When i read what is happening to the 20 000 people trapped for 5 days in the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center, i thought right away about Blindness that i just read in the Spring. Since then, i regularly think about this book...But i always thought about it as a philosophical tale...And now that it is real...
7 - ashley
I really liked your review, and it now that i think of it, I can see the parallels between it and hurricane katrina. I was wondering, do you have any comments on the use of animals in a lot of Saramago's descriptions?