Blindsight

by Michael Stewart

At the age of 29, Guy Sullivan, a charismatic school teacher, leans that he is going blind. Even more unnervingly, as his sight deteriorates he begins to have flashes of "pre-vision", terrifying glimpses of future events.

Patrick Ross, an outstanding experimental biophysicist, is on the verge of an extraordinary breakthrough - restoring vision to a blinded cat. He believes he can do the same for Guy, but it will be a risky treatment and must be conducted in complete secrecy.

Lisa, 21, is the woman Guy has come to love, filling the void left in his life by the tragic death of his wife three years earlier. Lisa, who is launching into a career in television, is eager to share her life with Guy - but now finds him pushing her away for reasons she cannot understand.

Guy's son Jamie, now 11, unknown to anyone, watched his mother die and he has never been the same since. A quiet, solitary child, at home in the wooded countryside surrounding his school, Jamie has found a different father to confide in - one whose Word is as certain as it is powerful. His father's blindness, he knows, is God's punishment, and nothing must stand in nits way.

A blind man at the mercy of a dangerous small boy; a passionate young woman thwarted in her love, confused and desperate; a brilliant scientist at the dark frontier of knowledge, determined to make history... out of these strands emerges a hypnotic tale of suspense and human drama.

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1988

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Born in June, 1945.

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many topics worth discussing from this book. Murder vs assisted-suicide. Prisoners of our own conscious mind. Capability of a 12 year old blinded by religious beliefs. Human test subjects for science.

I've picked my poison and chosen option number two. Are we prisoners trapped within our conscious minds? Is it possible that due to the sensory overload of everyday life, we lack the ability to realise our full potential. Is there more for us to understand? We spend our time on this planet in 'the now', the everyday shite which we believe to be the height of all reasoning.

When was the last time you truly sat down, turned off the TV, put your phone out of arms reach and had a deep think about nothing, anything, everything. It's a part of us which we have lost touch with.

If we practice sensory deprivation like our protagonist Guy, what thoughts/ideas will we encounter? We may encounter our shadow and embrace the darkness and see our ego for what it is.

Not a bad story all in all but the thought-provoking ideas to follow are what made it a good read.

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Figured it out before the characters did which is not unusual. Suspense was what would finally tip them off as to what was going on. Still enjoyable.

[Lisa Reitmeyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not care for this book. Too technical & seemed to drag on. After I was half way through the book, it got interesting. Not a book I would recommend.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very disappoint by this book because it is so boring. I had read some of Cooks other books and liked those too. The ending is so unsurprising. I hope Michael Palmer's books are better than this. But I'm not saying I won't read any of Cook's book ever it's just not now because I like variety.

[chris zabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn on how I feel about this book. Part of the story was interesting, part was too much info, and another part was a tad unbelievable.

[Debbie Mcnally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not very believable