The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman
Vicky is a therapist. Her regular clients are the kinds that
come in to talk about themselves, their marriages, depression, and whatnot.
But one day Vicky gets a phone call that changes everything. A client, who is referred
to as Y___ tells her that he has invented a way to disguise himself to be
unseen, for all intents and purposes, invisible. So starts a series of stories
and conversations between Y___ and Vicky about the people he watches. Y___
says that he is a scientist and his sole purpose in inventing the suit was to
observe individuals when they thought they were completely alone. He hides in
people’s homes in order to do this. This man is obviously brilliant, but
disturbed and Vicky finds herself toeing the line between complete
absorption/personal interest and her duty as a therapist.
The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman is a book that
leaves you thinking. What was the point of Y___’s use of therapy? What are his
ulterior motives? Who is he? The book is written as a transcription of the
dialogue between Vicky and Y___ with some conversations filled in by Vicky’s
memory and some add-ons from Vicky. Vicky claims that the story was too
extraordinary not to publish and in her belief, Y___ had the sessions taped for
exactly that reason.
Klosterman is an amazing writer. This is a book awash with
intellectual stimuli, questions, and provocation. It creeps beneath the surface
just as Y___ creeps into people’s lives. It left me a little uneasy because the
idea of someone watching what I do on my own without my knowledge is
disturbing. It made me think about my super-secret single behavior (yeah that’s
right we all have them) and also about when we show our true selves.
I highly suggest this title if you’re ready for a short,
adult book. If you like something that has dark humor and compels you to
continue on, I’d say give this one a read. Certainly a book that changed my
outlook on “being alone”.
Read Alikes!
Read Alikes!
~Kristin M.
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