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Book Title: Blindness

Book Author: Jos� Saramago

Genre: Fiction

Quick Synopsis: It all begins with one man. Out of nowhere he is suddenly struck by this blindness that can only be described as white. This man, who is later referred to as the first blind man, starts what you�d call a chain reaction in which this white blindness becomes an epidemic. The government panics and puts all those affected into an abandoned mental asylum where chaos soon erupts. Food is scarce, conditions are unsanitary, and violence in unavoidable. Finally the internees realize the soldiers who once stood guard outside have gone and the entire country has become blind; that is except for one woman. She is known only as �the doctor�s wife� and her sight remains with her throughout the novel, though she does fake blindness in order to be interned with her husband. She serves as the reader�s guide and describes to them what the blind are unable to see. Once they return to the world outside of the asylum a group of people remain with her and become dependant upon her and her eyes. The filth is unimaginable, all of civilization has collapsed, and a little more hope is lost with each passing day.

What was right with it?: Blindness is an amazing novel with an extremely creative subject. Not only is this novel beautifully written in terms of word choice but also in terms of structure. The author intentionally limits punctuation in order for the reader to get a sense of what the characters are feeling. We�re without the normal literary guidelines that we�re used to when reading, such as quotations, just as the blind are without their previous guidelines in the book. Every now and again we must pause and ask ourselves, �Which character said that?� as we would if we had also gone blind. This is a truly ingenious technique on the author�s behalf.
As well as telling a lovely story that�s difficult to stop reading, the book also functions as an allegory. The characters do in fact literally lose their sight in the novel, however, their loss of vision is an allegory for ignorance. All dignity, social order, and rationality is lost as a result of the epidemic. Jose Saramago even chooses not to give any titles in the book. All of the characters, as well as the places in which they reside, are nameless. This makes the people more universal. They aren�t attached to any specific label.
This international best-selling, Nobel Prize winning book is likely to become a favorite for anyone who reads it. It has received a number of positive reviews from esteemed sources such as The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and even other authors. Blindness captures the reader�s attention right at the start and holds it up until the final word.

What was wrong with it?: It's difficult at times to follow what's going on. With hardly any punctuation it's not easy to know who is speaking or what's going on exactly. It creates a type of chaos in your head. There are also some moral issues present in the book that might cause controversy for some people. For example: the character known only as "the girl with dark glasses" is a prostitute.

Marks: 10 out of 10

Recommended Age Of Reader: 14 and up. I would say this is a novel for high school students at the very least.

Reviewed By: Meghan (meghank91)

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