In an unnamed country, a driver stops at a red light and loses his sight, describing it as a white fog. The "white sickness" spreads, and authorities round up the blind in an abandoned mental hospital, where the weakest are victimised by a ward of armed men who seize the food rations. One woman, the wife of an ophthalmologist, keeps her sight in secret and becomes the group's guide. José Saramago asks what society looks like when it can no longer see itself.
Allegory lovers and fans of dystopian fiction will find this one hard to put down, though not easy. Its long, unbroken paragraphs are worth the adjustment.
Deep, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Deep Diver. Which reader are you?
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