Blinding Light

By Paul Theroux

Book Overview

From the New York Times best-selling author Paul Theroux, Blinding Light is a slyly satirical novel of manners and mind expansion. Slade Steadman, a writer who has lost his chops, sets out for the Ecuadorian jungle with his ex-girlfriend in search of inspiration and a rare hallucinogen. The drug, once found, heightens both his powers of perception and his libido, but it also leaves him with an unfortunate side effect: periodic blindness. Unable to resist the insights that enable him to write again, Steadman spends the next year of his life in thrall to his psychedelic muse and his erotic fantasies, with consequences that are both ecstatic and disastrous.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618711961
• ISBN13: 9780618711963
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A new (still satrical) chapter in Theroux' journey into the mind of a man

I loved this book, but I've loved every Paul Theroux novel. I suspect that most first-time readers of Theroux' novels will be offended and put off by this book. On the surface it reads like an egotistical, self-absorbed, name-dropping exercise in denial. In a vacuum, this novel is a train wreck. But taken in the context of the author's previous works, it is pure brilliance. I see this book as a natural extension/progression in Theroux' literary exploration of what it means to be a man. For me, this exploration started with "The Mosquito Coast," which I read in 1981, and which has haunted me ever since. From the beginning of "Blinding Light" I saw similarities between Steadman and Allie Fox, the protagonist of "The Mosquito Coast." They are both so sure of themselves, so full of themselves, yet so isolated from the rest of humanity. Each believes he is the only living person who has the Answer to the Human Condition, and each wants nothing whatsoever to do with anyone "less fortunate" than them. In "Mosquito Coast," Allie ("Father") is a tree-hugger inventor/farmer. I believe his children are home-schooled. His idea of freedom, which he preaches to his wife and kids with every breath he takes, lies in returning to the "natural" state of things. He constantly declares to his wife and children, "If it can't be grown here, I have no use for it!" Except, evidently, for the hydrogen and nitrogen and other chemicals he arranges to have shipped to South America when he moves his family there in order to build a giant freezer in the middle of the equatorial rain forest! How different is Steadman's journey? Like Allie, Steadman is an introvert-snob; he knows he's smarter than 99.9% of the people on the planet. He also knows he's a fraud. His incredibly successful travel book was a complete fluke, an experience nobody, including Steadman, could ever consciously reproduce. To his credit, he definitely tries; he spends 10 years trying to come up with a "great, new" idea, to no avail. One day he hears of a "mind-altering" drug that can only be experienced in the jungles of South America, and he's convinced that it is the only thing that will produce a breakthrough, the subject of which will inevitably become his next book. It turns out that Steadman is right. The mind-altering drug he finds in the jungle DOES actually transport him to "see" things as he has never seen them before. And it DOES produce fodder for his next book. But, as we all know, there are no free lunches. The insight and vision Steadman receives comes at a price. In allegorical terms, this book can be seen as the tale of the Garden of Eden: given the gift of the fruit of KNOWLEDGE, how will you use it? Steadman uses it to hob-knob with presidents and celebrities and act like a complete arrogant, idiotic schmuck! Just like Allie Fox. In Allie's case, the fruit of Knowledge was his own brain, but he used it in the same arrogant, idiotic, BLIND way.

A powerful novel of introspection and hallucination

BLINDING LIGHT tells of a writer who's lost his muse, and who sets out for the Ecuadorian jungle with an ex-girlfriend in search of drugs and inspiration. He finds his drug and his inspiration, but it leaves him periodically blind - a condition he's willing to chance in the search for the completion of his novel. The next year will challenge his perceptions and change his life in this powerful novel of introspection and hallucination. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

It's satyrical!

I have to respectfully disagree with the other posted reviews. This novel is a satire. It's poking fun at the main character, Steadman. He's meant to be a pathetic writer who intentionally denies himself and his character through the use of datura. Without it, he feels like he has nothing to contribute to his audience regardless of the astounding success of his first book. His obsession with sex and the "blind insights" he achieves regarding his sex life under the drug's influence are his only sources of inspiration. He's a pathetic and lost individual who's deluded himelf into believing that his erotic, hallucinogenic musings are SOMEHOW redeeming. They aren't. This is a story about a man who's so afraid of himself that thinks he needs to pose as a blindman to be recognized as someone with value. In addition to his anti-Freudian message, I believe Theroux meant this book to be a diatribe against any artist who needs drugs in their systems to create. Blinding Light is self-deception. I don't happen to agree with this premise, but it was artfully illustrated in this novel. I found this book to be thought-provoking and an enjoyable read.

Faust

No one else has mentioned that this is a retelling of the Faust legend, so I thought I'd add this note. The story had me completely absorbed. So much so that I felt used up after reading it. It rang true with me emotionally and afterwards I guess I was a bit frightened that I was so absorbed in this character who was, after all, making a deal with the devil. However, most retellings of the Faust story do sympathize with the soul that wants more than we're normally allotted in this life.

A novel of inspiration, vision, and searching

Slade's single claim to fame is a travel masterpiece which became a cult classic on travel without a passport, so when he sets out for Ecuador's jungle in search of new inspiration in a hallucinogenic drug, he's searching for miracles. He finds his drug and his ideas - but he also finds periodic blindness and a changed world - and addiction. Blinding Light is a novel of inspiration, vision, and searching. Though best known for his nonfiction travel and train books, Paul Theroux's talents show equally well in the novel arena, with fast-paced action and adventure blending with powerful characterization.