THE DIAGNOSIS

Scott Brick effects a subtle but powerful transformation in the course of Lightman's novel about the soulessness of our computer age. In the beginning, as the main character, an information specialist named Bill Chalmers, loses his memory and then his health, Brick reads with a clinical detachment that perfectly captures the fragmentation of a society of emails, voice-mails, and faxes. But as Chalmers's condition worsens, even as he comes closer to a personal redemption, Brick slowly allows a new warmth to enter into his voice. This is particularly apparent in a parallel side story about the last days of Sophocles, meant as a commentary on a modern age shorn of meaning and commitment. In a narration of great intelligence, Brick perfectly underscores Lightman's aims in this work. M.O. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]