Naked Singularity

by Victoria N. Alexander

When Hali's father asks her to help him commit suicide to spare the family the misery of a long illness, she reluctantly agrees. Hali's family insists on letting "God's will" decide. Hali, brooding upon the idea of predetermination and an afterlife in a way that is both challenging and deeply moving, is ultimately unable to do what her father wishes. She is forced to accept the help of a manipulative male nurse, adding further complications and a slow and painful end.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2003

About the author

Victoria N. Alexander, Ph.D. is a novelist, philosopher of science and co-founder of the Dactyl Foundation in NYC. Her favorite authors are Vladimir Nabokov and Stanislaw Lem, and she lives on a small sheep farm upstate with her husband and son. Alexander's fiction is published by The Permanent Press. Her nonfiction is published by Emergent Publications.

Reviews

[Valentin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! The book is very honest and without sentimentality, it reminds me of The Stranger. I think is one of the best written book for love between daughter and father and make you wish you have a daughter as Hali.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd look at morality and suffering and the choice to be made (or the choice to choose). A bit choppy in the way it jumps about. I am not sure how I feel about the interaction between the main woman and the male nurse. It made the story about more than dealing with death.

[Ulli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Great characters and plot. I especially liked the subtle change of motivation.