This first novel by Sean Pauzauskie, a neurologist, weaves a story around the familiar themes of King Lear - love, family rivalry, deception, inheritance, intrigue and skullduggery.
The use of a novel by a specialist to explore complex modern issues is a favoured technique, and a very effective one at that. Pauzauskie uses it to great advantage. As a reader, we are treated to a good story, while simultaneously becoming acquainted with advances in technology. There exists the very real possibility that a person in a coma can emerge from it with the aid of state-of-the art practice and equipment; in this case ultrasonic thalamic stimulation.
The main character is Steven Levinson, a billionaire who almost drowned when his boat capsized leaving him in a coma, kept alive by mechanical means. He is unable to communicate but his mind is still functioning, and he is able to discern the activity going on around him, and witness first hand the internecine activity displayed by his family.
The story weaves back and forth between the present and Levinson's early days in Alaska, the forces that shaped his character, and his relationship with his father. He learns hitherto unknown aspects of his father's history, disturbing and dark, facts that lead to him being pursued and almost killed. He almost dies a second time when trapped in a snowstorm with his boyhood friend while on a survey mission. They are attacked by a bear, an uncanny circumstance hearkening back to the disconcerting experience of his father.
The medical team is successful in restoring consciousness to Levinson, but the hoped for Nirvana is not achieved. His reality is inaccurate, circumstances are not as they appeared. His beloved wife releases him from their bond, tells him that it is time to let go. And go he does, with his son, Danny, to the far reaches of outer space.
And peace at last.
Stage of Fools - High Frequency Press
Sean Pauzauskie
Hardcover - ISBN: 9781962931311 - 226 pages
Publishing date: 20 October, 2025
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