Petey's Fiction Review

Blinding Light

by Paul Theroux

Made famous by his one-off cult classic travel book Trespassing, made wealthy by the sale of branded travel gear and accessories spun off from the book, author Slade Steadman hasn't written anything worthy of publication in twenty years. He yearns to recapture his writing muse, write another best seller, and reclaim his place in the literary limelight.

To that end Slade travels, with his about-to-be-ex-girlfriend, Dr. Ava Katsina, to the jungles of Ecuador in search of a rare hallucinogenic drug that he hopes will give him new insights and restore his muse. The trip is to be their last together, a prelude to their final parting.

In a remote village Steadman, guided in the ritual use of ayahuasca and datura by a tribal shaman, finds the motivation and enlightenment he's been seeking. With a year's supply of datura in hand, still accompanied by Ava, he returns to the States and begins work on his new book, an erotic autobiographical novel.

Although datura renders him temporarily blind, Steadman feels empowered by the blindness. When using the drug he lives in two worlds, one in which he cannot see, and another that's lit by the blinding light of heightened awareness. His extrasensory perceptions make him feel superior to those who haven't been gifted with the blinding light of second sight.

With Ava's help he finishes the book, but, with his supply of datura depleted, he discovers that he's permanently blind, an unfortunate side effect of long term use of the drug. When Ava abandons him, he slips into a world of deep despair, self-pity, uncertainty and fear; humbled by his experiences as a blind man living amongst the sighted, his greatest desire is to have his eyesight restored. If only Steadman can find the right doctor, the right medicine, the right technology, he might see again.

In Blinding Light, Novelist Paul Theroux offers fresh perspectives on mind expansion and drug culture, on manners and rudeness, on relationships, on sex, love, lust and indifference, and on the foibles and follies of the human character. He's the best-selling author of more than two dozen novels including The Mosquito Coast, Kowloon Tong and Hotel Honolulu.

Visit Paul's Web site at www.paultheroux.com/

Review by Phil Hanson

Click on the title to order your copy of Blinding Light.

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