A man waiting at traffic lights in an unnamed city suddenly goes blind, seeing only white. The condition spreads fast, and the government locks the first victims in a disused asylum, guarded by soldiers who fear contagion. The doctor's wife, the only person who can still see, pretends to be blind in order to stay with her husband, and she watches the internees descend into filth, violence and a gang that controls the food. José Saramago writes without quotation marks, in long paragraphs.
For readers who can handle bleak scenes, this is a strong allegory about the thin line between order and brutality. It lingers well after the final page.
Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2010
- Publisher
- Feltrinelli
- ISBN
- 9788807721823
- Language
- IT
