Blinding Light ***+

From the author of Mosquito Coast and Fresh Air Fiend, this recent novel, Blind Light, is a continuous metaphor of for understanding oneself. Slade Steadman, the primary character is a one-book wonder. In search of inspiration he travels with his girlfriend to Ecuador and experiments with a halucinagenic drug called " changru-panga". This creates a temporary blindness in which Steadman sees a whole new world. The visions become a source of inspiration for a new book "The Book of Revelation". Viewed through his "Blinding Light" he traces his sexual history dictating it to his medical Dr. girlfiend, and then acting the fantasies with her. The book is published an he pretends to be blind, only to eventually actually become blind. The real blindness creates an impenetrable darkness that distroys his misconception of "reality". His stumbling search for personal meaning has a tangental contrast with another metaphor, Clinton's efforts to undo the mess he created with the relationship to Monica. The story is interesting, challenging, unique, erotic, and has us question our own filters of perception.