The Speed of Dark

“The Speed of Dark” follows a period in the life of an autistic man, Lou Arrendale, told mostly from his perspective. From the back cover of the book:

“Thoughtful, poignant and unforgettable, The Speed of
Dark is a gripping exploration into the world of Lou
Arrendale, an autistic man who is offered a chance to
try a brand-new experimental “cure” for his condition.
Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery
that might completely change the way he views the
world...and the very essence of who he is.”

There is so much more to the story than this implies
though. Lou is a highly functional autistic. He has
a job, drives a car, has his own apartment, and
conducts his own affairs...in many ways better than I
do! He interacts with those considered “normal” on a
regular basis, including the participation in a weekly
fencing group. The conflict over the experimental
cure is much more than a should I/shouldn't I issue.
He has to overcome other challenges during the
book that no one should ever be confronted with.

I'd heard that The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon, was a rewrite of Flowers of Algernon by Daniel Keyes, only with an autistic man rather than a mentally handicapped one. In one respect this is true. At the beginning of the novel the protagonist of The Speed of Dark is pressured by his company to be a subject testing a drug ostensibly designed to get rid of autism. But the novel itself is about so much more, to the point that the fear of having to participate in this medical procedure almost takes a back seat to all of the other issues facing Lou Arrendale. Issues like: what is normal? What is the nature of personality (if he has this treatment will he cease to be himself? Will he still like the same things? Will he be able to do the work he enjoys?). What is the speed of Dark? (Is it the absence of light or does it travel faster than light, thereby arriving first?)

Told mostly, but not exclusively, from Lou's point of view, we get a very well researched idea of how autistic people see the world. A point of view that helps to broaden your own as a reader and human being.

It's a great novel. Well written and with an ending you won't see coming.