(Drivebycuriosity) - Imagine you had been capable to read the minds of others but now you are losing this capability because you are aging. This is the basic idea of the novel "Dying Inside" by Robert Silverberg (amazon). I read the book once in German translation and I enjoyed now the original on my Kindle. "Dying.." has aged well and belongs to the best books I read recently.
The novel is set in New York City in the 1970s when it was published. "Dying" isn`t traditional scifi, not even traditional Silverberg. The only scifi element is the mind reading, which is not based on science. But the novel mixes fiction with science, especially psychology, and blends it with some speculative ideas. The book takes also a glance on New York`s intellectual scene in the 1970s.
The plot is told in first person, by David Selig, a Jewish intellectual in his 40s, educated at New York´s Columbia University. Selig is making a living by ghosting papers for Columbia University students. Some of these papers became chapters in the novel and we get insights about Kafka, Greek drama and entropy, which alone make the book worth reading.
Selig is suffering from the decline of his capability, but he recalls the glorious days when he had his full fledged power. Then he dove into the minds of men and women, but also of animals like fish and bees. I enjoyed Silverberg´s dry humor and the analytical style, spiced with philosophical insights, musings about Italian food and some graphic sex. The novel is entertaining and gives a lot to think about.
PS. I found the image on top of this post here: leo-and-diane-dillon
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