Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes
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Book Summary Information
Author: Daniel KeyesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-05-01
ISBN: 0156030306
Number of pages: 324
Publisher: Mariner Books
Book Reviews of Flowers for Algernon
Book Review: Easily one of the best books I've read this year.
Summary: 5 Stars
Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon (Bantam, 1966)
There are some people who simply deserve to be beaten with their own severed limbs for being such monumental genetic screwups. No, I'm not talking about Charlie Gordon, the protagonist of Daniel Keyes' wondrous little novel Flowers for Algernon; I'm talking about his mother Rose, a woman for whom getting stoned (in the Biblical sense) is not good enough.
Perhaps, though, I'm getting ahead of myself. The plot, in case you (like me) are one of the handful of people who never got the book assigned to them in school: Charlie Gordon is a mentally retarded adult who is chosen to undergo what is believed to be a breakthrough treatment. After the surgery, the treatment slowly beings to work, but then the changes pick up speed; soon Charlie is a supra-genius, far outstripping those who put him under the knife in the first place. Therefore, it's Charlie, with the help of Algernon, a mouse who has also had the surgery, who finds the devastating monkeywrench about to be thrown into the works. The book is narrated from Charlie's point of view, as well, which adds that little extra twist to the knife.
You get the feeling, though, that so many of the kid's problems (that come through with him to his adult life) could have been avoided had his mother not been a braindead Neanderthal who's so incapable of seeing what's right in front of her face that it causes her more pragmatic husband to flee the household. There is a method to Keyes' madness, and it is named Rose. It is a testament to both Keyes' ability to draw character (even minor characters; aside from in Charlie's memories, Rose only gets a few pages of screen time) and his ability to manipulate through perspective that make Rose the monster she is. That, of course, is secondary to the overall plot here, but it is synecdochic of the brilliance in this novel; I'm not pointing it out because it's the bright spot in an otherwise dull affair, but because it's one of the many highlights in a scintillating character study. Charlie himself is equally convincing as both a mentally challenged individual and a supra-genius. (And imagine the rage if this book, which uses such terms as "bright-moron" and "retardate", were released today; I'm honestly rather surprised I haven't stumbled across reports of its being challenged in schools, and I figure this has more to do with my not coming across the reports, rather than it simply not happening.) Just as important, if not more so, his perceptions of others, as they change, remain faithful.
While I'm spending a great deal of time rhapsodizing over the characterization, I'm neglecting the plot. Which I shouldn't do, because it's amazing. But--and this is a point I try to make repeatedly when I give bad reviews (maybe it'll come across better in a good one)--the plot is only as strong as its supporting acts. You can have the best plot in the world, but if you don't fit it with realistic characters, it's just not going to work. I'm going to start using Flowers for Algernon as a shining example of how the two, packaged together, make for a much stronger book than either piece standing on its own.
Add to this Keyes' eye for detail. He adds just enough extraneous detail to the book to add another thin veneer of plausibility to it; stuff that you might notice in passing and forget about. Charlie notices these things, and since he's (in the latter half of the book, anyway) dictating into a tape recorder, he notices them, talks about them, and then goes on his way. I mean, think about it. As a side note, given a performance worthy of the material, this would make an awe-inspiring audiobook.
Flowers for Algernon is beautiful, it's heartbreaking, it's funny and sweet and sexy and spiteful and nasty and hateful and just plain great. If you managed to avoid it during your school years, I cannot recommend highly enough going back and reading it as an adult. Put simply, it's genius. **** ½
Summary of Flowers for Algernon
With more than five million copies sold, Flowers for Algernon is the beloved, classic story of a mentally disabled man whose experimental quest for intelligence mirrors that of Algernon, an extraordinary lab mouse. In poignant diary entries, Charlie tells how a brain operation increases his IQ and changes his life. As the experimental procedure takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment seems to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance--until Algernon begins his sudden, unexpected deterioration. Will the same happen to Charlie?
An American classic that inspired the award-winning movie Charly.
An American classic that inspired the award-winning movie Charly.
Daniel Keyes wrote little SF but is highly regarded for one classic, Flowers for Algernon. As a 1959 novella it won a Hugo Award; the 1966 novel-length expansion won a Nebula. The Oscar-winning movie adaptation Charly (1968) also spawned a 1980 Broadway musical.
Following his doctor's instructions, engaging simpleton Charlie Gordon tells his own story in semi-literate "progris riports." He dimly wants to better himself, but with an IQ of 68 can't even beat the laboratory mouse Algernon at maze-solving:
I dint feel bad because I watched Algernon and I lernd how to finish the amaze even if it takes me along time.I dint know mice were so smart.
Algernon is extra-clever thanks to an experimental brain operation so far tried only on animals. Charlie eagerly volunteers as the first human subject. After frustrating delays and agonies of concentration, the effects begin to show and the reports steadily improve: "Punctuation, is? fun!" But getting smarter brings cruel shocks, as Charlie realizes that his merry "friends" at the bakery where he sweeps the floor have all along been laughing at him, never with him. The IQ rise continues, taking him steadily past the human average to genius level and beyond, until he's as intellectually alone as the old, foolish Charlie ever was--and now painfully aware of it. Then, ominously, the smart mouse Algernon begins to deteriorate...
Flowers for Algernon is a timeless tear-jerker with a terrific emotional impact. --David Langford
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