A Life Transparent: Book Review
Thrilling Scifi Novel About Ordinary Life Turned a Nightmare
Sep 15, 2008
A Life Transparent is a story about boredom - not as a fleeting feeling but a state of mind, a lifestyle that consumes you and turns your life into a nightmare. This novel by Todd Keisling is self-published (R. Todd Keisling, 2007, ISBN 978-0-615-15810-5), but you could never tell. It is a book you don't want to put down until you're finished, and even later you will find your mind wandering back to it.
The Story
Donovan Candle always wanted to be a writer, but what was supposed to be a temporary post as a telemarketer has dragged on for 15 years. For years he has been working on a great American novel based on his private eye brother, but nothing seems to come out of it. Donovan is happily married to Donna and they're trying for a baby, yet something is amiss.
One day, Donovan starts Flickering. He fades in and out and the world turns into a strange gray. People don't seem to notice his presence any longer, not even his wife. A few days later Donna goes missing. A phonecall reveals he is not dealing with an ordinary kidnapper, but some kind of a demonic being who is also behind the Flickering.
In the journey to save his wife Donovan ends up in the frightening Monochrome, a ghoulish black and white version of the world. It turns out that this is what happens to people who are too saturated with mediocrity: first they begin to flicker and eventually they will completely disappear.
Donovan seeks out the help of his detective brother Michael, but doesn't tell him that not only do they have to get his wife back, Donovan has to find a way to change his mindless life to avoid disappearing in the Monochrome for good.
Commentary
The quality of writing sets A Life Transparent ahead of the stereotypes associated with its genre labels. Those who care more about the story than the literary side won't be disappointed either; there isn't a boring part in this fast-paced ride. The horror elements like the Cretins and the Yawning are genuinely horrifying. A comparison to Stephen King is certainly not out of order.
The dialogue deserves another special mention. It is relaxed and believable without falling into the trap of trying to be overly witty. There are a few particularly enjoyable pages that show that even the discussion between a telemarketer and a client can be made entertaining.
Some things about this book seem clichéd, though most of them probably intentionally. The characters come off as slightly one-dimensional, but this goes with the spirit of the novel. The author retains excellent control of his narrative, although a few parts feel slightly overexplained. Even the most bizarre things are believable.
It is easy to identify with Donovan, the sympathetic antihero. Most of us don't grow up into famous authors, either, and most of us would do anything to save an abducted wife or husband. The relationship between Donovan and Donna feels a bit cheesy and sentimental, though, and the description of their sexual relations overly vague and chaste.
There are quite a few clichés familiar from the cinema, like the classical "man held at gunpoint, but someone saves him at the last second" scene. It is not difficult to picture A Life Transparent as a film and it would probably be a hit at the box office, but a Hollywood movie would lose the thrilling narrative and description which really make this novel.
The book is much more thought-provoking than most scifi and horror novels. Even though the Flickering is not exactly realistic threat, many readers can surely identify with being stuck with a dead-end job and a monotonous life that isn't going anywhere. The message of the book is to get the most out of your life, and it comes through loud and clear without preachy undertones.
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