I picked this book up in the library while browsing and was glad I did.
Although it is set in the near future it gives real insight into day to
day experiences that people with autism have, how they think and
interact with the world in different ways from 'neurotypicals'.
Lou
is our first person narrator, a single man with autism living an
independent life. He has a capacity to find patterns in data, this
facility with the world of numbers lies in opposition to his
difficulties with the world of society and language, a world that is
alien and often hostile to him, but it has enabled him to have a good
job.
In this near future world autism is becoming a rarity as a
cure has been found that can be implemented at birth and, indeed,
although Lou was not born in time to be cured he received interventions
that meant he could function within society and make use of his skills
to solve complex problems. He works alongside a small group of people
who all have autism. They work in a unit with autism-friendly
facilities, a gym to allow for trampolining to dissipate anxiety, and
individual cubicles. But there is a new boss and he offers these
vulnerable adults a simple option. They can take part in a trial of a
new procedure which may 'fix' their autism, or there will no longer be a
job for them. As Lou negotiates this new challenge, everyday life and
friendship and fencing with friends his world opens up to us and, for
me, challenged many of my assumptions and understandings.
Speed
of Dark asks very real questions about the nature of society's
relationship with autism, what 'different' and 'normal' mean and the
ethics of looking for a cure for autism, something which has long been
recognised as a disability but is only now beginning to be explored in
terms of its important place in our evolutionary and intellectual
history. A good thriller but one I really learned from
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