Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Halloween comes early in an IKEA-like catalogue

Synopsis of Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix: Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Columbus, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Brooka glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofa beds clearly, someone or something is up to no good.

To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-till-dawn shift—and they encounter horrors that defy imagination. Along the way, author Grady Hendrix infuses sly social commentary on the nature of work in the new twenty-first century economy.

A traditional haunted house story in a contemporary setting (and full of current fears), Horrorstör comes conveniently packaged in the form of a retail catalog, complete with illustrations of ready-to-assemble furniture and other, more sinister accessories. We promise you’ve never seen anything quite like it!

My two cents

Welcome to Orsk, IKEA copycat in the US. It's a DIYer's heaven with inexpensive furniture and fantastic marketing and packaging. But one morning, there is more grossness happening after hours on the furniture than just a simple vandal, and the boss is keen to find out who's been causing trouble. Employees spend the night to investigate and discover that Orsk is haunted. But by whom, and why? Find out in this campy horror/mystery story, and be prepared to cringe while ruminating on the woes of consumerism and drudgery.

***

True story: I got this in the mail and was just starting to get into it and hubby asks me why I'm so intent on my IKEA catalog. After all, hadn't I already pored through it with a fine toothed comb? All he could do was laugh when I pointed out that I was actually reading a book that just happened to look like an IKEA catalog. The IKEA-ish layout is what first caught my eye. I thought it was such an original idea that I wanted to see if the layout did anything for the story...

Uh-oh, sort of ...

The layout. I thought the layout would feel gimmicky. It did at first and I couldn't help myself from flipping through it. It has the requisite map, even order forms, and little furniture "blueprints" (ala IKEA assembly instructions) at the beginning of each chapter. There's even Grady Hendrix's Orsk employee ID card at the back! I had to get the layout appeal out of my system before I could settle into the story. My advice: do the same.

The layout starts to take a turn when the storyline does too. I thought that was a neat little touch. The interplay of visual and story may surprise you. I honestly wasn't expecting to like this because I generally steer clear of the horror genre!

What I liked:

Pretty profound under the slick packaging. The horror aspect of this is pretty tame but you'll get the blood, gore, and zombies in it, as you'd expect it. It's scary in an entertaining way. But the "horror" has a moral to it and the "horror" is actually more psychological than real: this is a satire about work, in all its mind-numbing, creativity-killing, treadmill-y tediousness. Layer this with the insidious horror of consumerism, people who will lap up the Kool Aid of corporate America, and are faced with the consequences of dead-end career choices.

The characters are pretty mundane. But that's what makes them relatable. We all know that working in retail is pretty thankless and it's the characters' relatable back stories that I think many readers will be able to latch on to. Do you have a family, kids you need to take care of? Do you come from humble beginnings? Are you struggling to make ends meet? Are you the boss who has totally bought into the corporate line? Are you the reliable store employee who will bend backwards for a customer? Are you the one who toes the line and speaks out when the corporate line is, well, crap?

These contribute to a rather creative ghost-mystery story that saves it from being a campy, gimmicky book in an IKEA-esque packaging.  

Verdict: An extremely creative and original "horror" story that is an insidious commentary about  working in corporate America. I highly recommend this for someone looking for a read that will scare the sh*t out of them when they're in a work stupor.

I received a copy of this book through the publisher Quirk Books for review consideration.

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn

Missing monarch alert! What fun!

Synopsis of Mrs Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn: After decades of service and years of watching her family's troubles splashed across the tabloids, Britain's Queen is beginning to feel her age. She needs some proper cheering up. An unexpected opportunity offers her relief: an impromptu visit to a place that holds happy memories—the former royal yacht, Britannia, now moored near Edinburgh. Hidden beneath a skull-emblazoned hoodie, the limber Elizabeth (thank goodness for yoga) walks out of Buckingham Palace into the freedom of a rainy London day and heads for King's Cross to catch a train to Scotland. But a characterful cast of royal attendants has discovered her missing. In uneasy alliance a lady-in-waiting, a butler, an equerry, a girl from the stables, a dresser, and a clerk from the shop that supplies Her Majesty's cheese set out to find her and bring her back before her absence becomes a national scandal.

My two cents

The Queen takes a day off! In a momentary lapse of bad judgment, nostalgia, and a funny set of incidents, the Queen decides to take the public train to her decommissioned ship, the Brittania.

Unknowingly she sends all her staff abuzz in a bid to get her back, safe and sound, without calling undue attention to the paparazzi.

There's the shy, red-haired Rebecca who takes care of the horses, who realizes that the Queen must've decided to get some of the cheese the horses so love. Then there's the besotted Rajiv, part time paparazzi and cheese seller, who decides to help Rebecca out.

Then there's Shirley, the Queen's personal dresser. She joins forces with the snooty lady lady-in-waiting, Lady Anne Bevil. There's also the long-time butler, William, who decides someone has to help out the Queen's current equerry, Luke, when he discovers the Queen is missing. 

Come along for a ride with the Queen! It's actually much more fun than I expected!

***

This is a cute, fun read. Of course it's highly unbelievable and totally fictional! But that's part of the fun! This is a light-hearted and fictional depiction of an aging Queen Elizabeth in this modern world. After all, the Queen is in with the times too; she takes yoga (love the warrior pose!) and has her own Miss Twitter and sort of understands Paste err Facebook!

This novel breathes charm, old-lady dithering, and lots of elegance into the Queen's woes -- from her viewpoint -- as a monarch dealing with the pressures of duty and public perception. It also gives us a bittersweet look into how she feels about  becoming obsolete in this modern world. We also become privy to some of her private thoughts as a wife, as a mother, and how she was quite hurt by her alleged indifference to Diana's death.

The author, a biographer and historian, was able to walk us through the dynamics within the royal household. But the story has a twist in it as the once strict protocols of interactions between the royals and the staff, and how these were breached, showed that people come together during time of need. If you like Downton Abbey, you'll probably get a kick out of this!

Verdict: This is a novel that blends tradition with modern life all within the setting of the British monarchy. If you'd like a fluffy and fun read that pokes fun at, yet has a soft spot, for the Queen, read this! I recommend it to those who enjoy chick lit, and lovers of anything British.

Links:

• William Kuhn's website
• Q&A with William Kuhn on American Bookseller's Association

1940s Philippine history in a prostitute's story {Ermita by F. Sionil Jose}

1940s Philippine history in a prostitute's story.

Synopsis of Ermita by F. Sionil Jose*: Ermita as the major character in this novel, was first introduced in F. Sionil Jose's novella, "Obsession." Fabulous prostitute, a woman wronged, she is now exposed in her exquisite nudity, surrounded by people like her, Eduardo Dantes, publisher, Senator Andres Bravo, General Bombilla, socialite Conchita Rojo, and Rolando Cruz, Ph.D. in history turned public relations specialist.

Ermita is the story of an enclave of privilege and affluence, and the putrefaction of a society. Here is Manila-before 1941, during the tumultuous years of the Japanese Occupation, and the corrupt Marcos regime.

My two cents

This is the life story of Ermita Rojo, conceived of the brutality of the First World war when a Japanese soldier rapes her well-to-do socialite mother Conchita. Seen as a blight on the illustrious Rojo family's name, she is shipped off to a convent and brought up among other unwanted, orphaned children. Conchita escapes to America to forget the pains of the war.

Ermita or Ermi grows up among the nuns and she is happy and hopeful that she will soon be adopted ... until she discovers the reason why she is passed over until her teenage years: she is the daughter of the Rojo family. She threatens the nuns that she will run away, to seek out her mother and this forces her aunt, Felicitas, to take her in.

Ermi is taken into the family to be educated at an exclusive girls' school yet all the while serving as a maid to the Rojos and living in the garage with the other servants. She finds her a "real" family with the aging driver and his wife, and their son MacArthur. Mistreated, impoverished, and denied her heritage, Ermi's hatred of the Rojo family grows. This is the life story of her revenge.

***

I had the best intentions of reading more Filipino literature. So I bought a few novels the last time I visited the Philippines (sooo long ago) and Ermita was among them. But I've been failing miserably: count them, one, and this is two. Pathetic progress considering I felt that this should be a personal mini-project of mine.

In the year that has passed though, I've discovered that more Filipino authors are now on amazon.com, which really bodes well for those looking specifically for them, or those who want to expand their reading territory. I'm all for reading more diversely and getting access to these "obscure" books in in the international maket this makes it much easier. (I put obscure in quotation marks because F. Sionil Jose is far from being obscure in the Philippines).

What I liked 

Just because it's penned by a Filipino author. I am biased. Just the fact that this is written by the venerable Filipino author F. Sionil Jose, well-known for his stories about class struggle and colonialism in the Philippines, makes this on my list of to-reads.

History and culture isn't rammed down your throat. Who likes a straight history lesson? If you're Filipino, you'll probably get it. Otherwise, to get the full benefit of this novel, including the places mentioned, the allegories and the occasional off-colour humour and pokes at Filipino politics, you'd need a minimal background of Philippine history, politics and social strata. I think a quick gander to Wikipedia will fix that.


Ermita Church, 1900s
From Manila Nostalgia

Sinner/saint? It's intriguing, too, in my mind that the title of this books refers to both a person and a place in Manila. The term Ermita is pretty loaded too; it has religious roots:

La Hermita, the Spanish word for "hermitage", after the fact that on this site was built a hermitage housing an image of the Virgin Mary known as the Nuestra Señora de Guia (Our Lady of Guidance). The hermitage has since evolved into Ermita Church ..." (from Wikipedia)

Juxtapose this with how the character Ermita prostitutes herself in order to rise out of poverty. In the present-day, Ermita became infamous as a red light district. I am suspecting that this study in contrasts is open to some deep analysis, symbolism or allegory -- I simply find it an interesting and thought-provoking juxtaposition, definitely worthy of some good discussion.

Uh-ohs

I have a slight distaste for this novel. I felt like I was in a bit of a time warp reading this. I suspect that if I had read this in the 1990s, I probably would've loved it. This has shades of activist messaging, and it is slightly romantic in its espousing activism and having a heart for the poor. It's a snapshot of a bygone era, though I admit it still has heavy relevance today.

If you love your melodrama, this has got it. Think telenovela. It's also quite formulaic: poor mistreated girl becomes rich and famous, plots revenge on those who mistreated her (very heavy-handed in the revenge side).

Lastly, I was slightly turned off by the weird quasi-sexual-philosophical musings and the erotica. Given that this is about a prostitute, I guess I should've been more accepting, even expectant, but there were sections that bordered on weird and slightly distasteful for me.

Verdict

A biting commentary on Philippine society pre- and post- World War II, as brought to life by the story of a woman who rose up out of poverty. A worthwhile read if you`d like to learn more about Philippine history and society.

Book Depository*

The Tragedy of Fidel Castro by João Cerqueira

Who ever thought I'd be laughing about religion and politics? 

Synopsis: When God receives a request from Fátima to help prevent a war between Fidel Castro and JFK, he asks his son, Jesus, to return to Earth and diffuse the conflict. On his island, Fidel Castro faces protests on the streets and realizes that he is about to be overthrown. Alone, surrounded, and aware that the end is fast approaching, he plays his last card. Meanwhile, Christ arrives on Earth and teams up with Fátima, who is convinced she can create a miracle to avoid the final battle between JFK and Fidel Castro and save the world as we know it. At the end, something really extraordinary happens! Humorous, rich with metaphor, and refreshingly imaginative, The Tragedy of Fidel Castro was chosen as the book-of-the-month and book-of-the-year by Os Meus Livros magazine.

My two cents:

After a synopsis like that (and a cover as edgy as that!), I couldn't resist this book. In this reimagined world, God entreats Jesus to help Fátima prevent a war between Fidel Castro and JFK. Can Jesus and Fatima with their old-school miracles actually avert the disaster? But wait, let's get a few things straight. Although the characters have names that we're all familiar with, they aren't who we think they are ...

***

I was initially intimidated by this book because it deals with two areas that most people just steer clear of: religion and politics. Inspired by Jose Saramago's incisive alternate history (I am thinking Cain) and with tinges of magical realism, I had a hunch that this was going to be a challenging read.

Add that fact that I'm a rather apolitical reader so I was worried that I wouldn't "get" it. So I looked for some context for the storyline, a satire based on the Cuban missile crisis. According to Wikipedia:

"The Cuban missile crisis—known as the October crisis in Cuba and the Caribbean crisis in the former USSR—was a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other side. It was one of the major confrontations of the Cold War, and is generally regarded as the moment in which the Cold War came closest to turning into a nuclear conflict.

So psyched up and with this little bit of background before starting to read a book, I was pleasantly surprised that once I got started, I didn't find it hard to get into this. I really shouldn't have worried!

***

With the two main characters, JFK and Fidel Castro (and his spy Varadero), two ideologies are subtlety dissected in their to-and-fro. What a treat: thought provoking observations and insights about Capitalism and Socialism, revolution, political factions, lots of leveraging and strategizing (usually involving some good booze and cigars), and lots of spy business. This book opens the gates for discussion on these concepts and more, without disintegrating into anything too serious.

"I come from an island of heat, happiness, and beautiful women. However it is not those features that distinguish my word from yours. In my country, the exploiters and the exploited have given way to a classless society where the state acts for the common good. Our model of Scientific Socialism generates  abundance and allows each citizen to develop his human potential.It is therefore a much more developed state than your decrepit Capitalist society based on the selfishness of the minority that exploits the workers."

"If it's so marvellous, then why do so many try to escape on rafts?" inquired the counselor ironically, sensing a chance to shine with cutting remarks after his stone -skipping failure.

"Will you be quiet? Let the gentleman speak," said JFK sharply.

"In your world, man is alienated from what he produces, transformed into a mere commodity to be bought and sold. To keep prices low, you have created an army of unemployed, thanks to laws that encourage dismissal."

"Is that so? And where people with PhDs drive taxis, not to mention the pros—"   
- p. 18-19 

Meanwhile, the religious thread wasn't as difficult for me to get into. Sure—here I was with my Catholic upbringing—actually feeling just a bit blasphemous for enjoying this so much! The beginning already sets the tone of the book: God is screaming "For God's sake!" You just know you're not going to get a serious book, right? However, for the very reasons that I enjoyed this, it may be challenging and even upsetting those who have very strict beliefs about God and Catholicism. It tackles God's relationship with Jesus, miracles, sainthood and faith. If any of these bring up any red flags, this may not be the book for you.

Nothing is held sacred in this book; that's it's beauty. It will poke, poke, poke ... faith, belief, politics, revolt, anyone's convictions, prostitution, Jesus, God, Fatima, and more ... Cerqueira spares any politically correct language, pulls the punches where needed and he doesn't hold back.

***

For those who do decide to take the plunge, this read can be extremely rewarding. Overall, I found this thought provoking while being plain entertaining, which I wasn't expecting at all!

At the least, this is bound to challenge your preconceptions of how the characters are  supposed to think and act and how events are supposed to unfold. At the most, you'll be laughing like silly when these supposedly straightlaced characters get into all sort of absurd situations and how the single call impacts a critical time in the world's history.

It takes great skill to infuse humour into such staid and potentially inflammatory topics such as political ideologies and religion. But the levity that Cerqueira injects doesn't in any way take away from the seriousness of what's up for discussion.

If I had shied away from this simply because this seemed intimidating, I wouldn't have read this unique, creative and provoking satire. Now that would have been a tragedy.

Verdict: A clever satire! I recommend this book highly if you're a Jose Saramago fan, a history buff, or someone who enjoys political discussion ... it doesn't disappoint! I would likewise recommend this to anyone who is open to new ideas and enjoys being challenged. This is cleverly written, well thought through and with an obviously solid basis in the various topics discussed.

Note: This book is a translation and is really well done. I suspect that like many translated works, reading this in the original would be much better so as to get the full effect. Now if I only knew Spanish (or Portuguese?)

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Read more:

• My Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post for some quotes.
• An excerpt of the book here.

I Am Bill Gates' Dog by Jeffrey Zygmont

The winning formula: Dog + Bill Gates = appealing.

Serious synopsis of I Am Bill Gates' Dog by Jeffrey Zygmont: We once knew Bill Gates as a plundering businessman who became the richest guy alive. Today he's a noisy philanthropist. Let's pretend that, in between those two identities, billionaire Bill Gates runs a secret campaign to buff up his public image. Then let's pretend that some invading canines interrupt his plot to manipulate public opinion. It's a mess. Gates schemes above. The dogs battle below. These canines have ambitions too, you see. Each yearns to become Bill Gates' Dog, so each slyly maneuvers to undercut his kennel-mates and win the prize. Only one noble pooch deserves it. But he's just a mutt. His rivals are highfalutin aristocrats who slap down the no-status mongrel. But remember, Bill Gates rules the kennel. Surprises arise when his whims distort the dreams and schemes of every creature beneath him.

My two cents

The book in one sentence: Bill Gates gets a dog to boost his public image.

The premise of the book: get a dog to make Gates more reachable and more likable. Who can argue with that? I found the premise quite entertaining. It's touted to be a satire and hopefully with a synopsis that has a grain of truth (read: first two sentences), I figured that this would at least be interesting.

There are two worlds presented: human and dog.

The human world is pretty boring: it is mainly about keeping Bill Gates happy. He comes across as rather dull in the book - and the fact that he never interacted with the dogs really turned me off. His whole team of public consultants is portrayed as a total mess.

Now the dog world: this is what made the book a bit more interesting. The first failed attempt involved Big Gandhi, a dog with breeding. His disappearance makes him a deity-of-sorts in the dog world.

More pedigree dogs --Web, Blake, Georgie and Dremmel -- enter the picture and they vie for the position of becoming Bill Gates' Dog. Of course, there's also Amanda, a female dog with breeding thrown in for a bit of a romantic spin. 

But the consultants come up with the idea of using an ordinary dog instead: a mongrel called Rin, Mr. Niceguy, whose niceness would hopefully rub off on its pseudo-owner Gates.

Here comes the divide: dogs with breeding vs. ordinary dogs. This is where different personalities come into play, provoking discussions come up, and where we see how the dog world is informed by their own perception of what is happening "up there" in the "human world."

I have to honestly say that I didn't really invest myself into this read - it was a breezy read, humorous at times but not rip roaring or especially memorable. While I found it entertaining, I also didn't read too much into the satire side of things and I guess I was expecting a more obvious aha moment. It never came and that's where I found myself disappointed.

You may wonder if the scheme worked? I'll leave you to find out ... but it can only happen after a big crazy song and dance, of course!

Verdict: An unusual book where the dogs tell the story and Bill Gates disappears into the background. 

Read my Friday 56 of I Am Bill Gates' Dog by Jeffrey Zygmont

I received this book from the author on Goodreads First Reads.

All Her Father's Guns by James Warner

When the ridiculous shows us how the truth is just all f*cked up.

Synopsis of All Her Father's Guns by James Warner: Cal Lyte, a gun-loving venture capitalist, is tired of paying alimony to his ex-wife Tabytha. Plotting to blackmail her and derail her campaign for Congress, he enlists the help of their daughter's boyfriend, British academic Reid Seyton, to unearth some Lyte family secrets. But the results turn out to be more than anyone bargained for, in an escalating cycle of revelations that will leave nobody's life the same.

My thoughts 

Do you know what this book reminds me of? Adam Sandler in the movie Click. Funny but serious. Laugh-out-loud ... but scary. Because you know that despite how outrageous things are, they could actually happen, and they often do.

This book is a satire. I appreciated the wit and humour. And there were so many little nuggets of wisdom, and such spot-on insights in human nature, buried in all the snarkiness. The story is tight and snappy. There is an ease and confidence in the writing that translates to an easy, quick read. But not to say that this book didn't have lots to say!

Cal Lyte is a macho gun-loving venture capitalist. His ex-wife Tabytha, who has grand political aspirations, is milking him for all his worth. They have a daughter, Lyllyan, who generally keeps her nose clean. One day, Cal meets up with Lyllyan's boyfriend, Reid Seyton, to dig up some dirt on Tabytha to derail her campaign for congress. Cal can't seem to cope and calls upon the unconventional methods of therapist Viorela. In the process, weird and outrageous things happen, more than what anyone bargained for. (Note that I didn't put any spoilers ... read it if you want to find out!)

The story's chapters alternately are told from the viewpoints of Cal Lyte (a reference to the drug?) and Reid Seyton (no, not pronounced 'Satan') , making for a decidedly male perspective. The characters are generally strong, articulate and ballsy. And not shy. When female characters come up - in the form of Lyllyan, Tabytha and Viorela -- they are equally ballsy, even bitchy -- women with penises. The characters are so outrageous but so tragically human that they become plausible, "lovable" messes!

I'll say right off that this book isn't for everyone. I honestly had some trouble getting into this. I felt like I was reading something I shouldn't be, like somehow being in a sorority/fraternity house, listening into conversations, and just not getting the joke. A lot of the subtleties probably got lost on me: there is a lot of academic-speak (mainly Theory), a lot of political pokes and jokes (mainly referencing American politics), very liberal views on abortion and pro-choice, and tons of references to drugs and guns. (Ok, I'll just pretend to look smart and nod :) )

I went through some of the author's back story and he is British living in America, and is an academic. Face it, this was written by an academic and it comes across! Warner's British perspective shines through on this American social landscape he writes about, oftentimes spot-on observations from foreign eyes which makes for some interesting and strange insights.

First buds sprouted from knobbly plane trees, and undergraduate couples fumbled amorously on over-irrigated lawns, beside phallic pillars with buttons you were supposed to press if anyone sexually harassed you. I stood biting my lip in the shadow of the Department of Theory, a trapezoidal ferroconcrete structure whose ugliness I'd somehow never fully appreciated before. I felt utterly paralyzed."Over-educated people are OK at doing what they're told to do," Cal told me once, "but lousy at figuring out what to do," and I haven't come up with a snappy comeback to that one.
- p. 26 

And with that, I don't have a come-back to the title, which I think is just brilliant.

Verdict: A crazy mix of extreme characters and hard-nosed writing, that is a commentary on the craziness of business, politics and of life.

• Read more on the official website.
• Which character from All Her Father's Guns are you? Take the quiz.
• Check out my Friday 56 of this book. 

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Book Depository

Blindness and Seeing by Jose Saramago

 

I've been on a Saramago roll lately! His writing style intrigues me; and his allegorical-philosophical discourses - while they can get me a little bogged down - never fail to surprise me with his insights into human nature, even the worst of it.

After passing over Seeing many times as it happens always to be on the shelves... finally a  few months ago, I saw Blindness. All I knew is that I'd need to read Blindness before Seeing.

The books in one sentence each:

• Blindness: A city is inexplicably hit by blindness - save for one woman - the blind are confined to a mental hospital where man's worst appetites rear its ugly head. 
• Seeing: Majority cast blank votes in the election; government strives to deal with this "revolt," and pinpoints that the "seeing woman" is behind this plot.  

 

My thoughts

I've always been intrigued by dystopian literature, though it can be a little of a downer for me so I always make sure to stagger read it. 

Blindness is a depressing read yet shows what goodness, forgiveness and strength of character can do to rise above depravity and anarchy. The scenario is simple - in an entire city of blind people, one woman remains able to see. Why? What does she do?

This enigmatic phenomenon starts off with a man who is strangely struck by blindness. He goes to his ophthalmologist to find out why ... and instead he starts off a strange epidemic of blindness in other patient, including the very doctor who seeks to cure them.

The blind are quarantined in an old mental hospital. The doctor's wife, who remains able to see, refuses to leave her husband's side and feigns blindness to be able to do so. The hospital leaves the blind to basically left to fend for themselves ... and anarchy takes over in the fight for survival. The doctor's wife arises as a natural leader.

The characters are an interesting lot and lend various perspectives to this unusual story. There is the "girl with the dark glasses" - a prostitute who turns motherly to a young boy separated from his parents. Then there is the "man with the black eye patch," who unlike everyone else, takes his blindness calmly and matter-of-a-factly and sees it as an opportunity to learn a much-needed lesson. There is also the tyrannical "Ward 3 leader," who when supplies run low and modes of payment are non-existing, demands women in exchange.

I watched the movie (Julianne Moore?!?) and decided that this story is something best left as a book. It is much too graphic and depressing to have to watch - instead of being fodder for thought.

* * * 

Seeing is the sequel to Blindness post-blindness. Sight is miraculously restored and election time has swung around. The whole day, very few come around to vote, explained away as a heavy rain falls. But right after the skies clear up at around 4:00 pm, people are inexplicably at the polls and extensive lines start up. And to everyone's shock, the majority of the votes cast are blank.

Government investigates, viewing this sudden surge of voters at 4:00 pm and the resulting blank ballots as a plot to overthrow the government. In the increasingly oppressive nature of this Government, there is widespread discontent yet the fear of the repercussions of communicating this. Government keeps up a semblance of normality through what is regarded as highly suspicious propaganda. Meanwhile people are questioned and are start disappearing - and what results is an interesting yet precarious balance between the ruled and the rulers.

The "seeing" woman again figures in this story. She is pinpointed as the one responsible for orchestrating the casting of bank votes by mere virtue of her retaining her sight during the inexplicable blindness. A Superintendent is assigned to investigate who is responsible for this "revolution." The Superintendent, in the course of his investigations comes to see the human side of the situation, and he  becomes a dissenting voice in this silent city.

Verdict: Both must-reads! Blindness focuses on the individual at his best and worst. Seeing focuses on the government at its worst.