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Audiobook Notes at the End

Early on, I was fairly certain it would be a 5 star read for me, but the end didn't quite cut it.

The main idea of the story is very similar to Flowers for Algernon. Lou Arrendale is high-functioning autistic in a near future where an experimental treatment is being developed that will reverse the effects of autism in adults (children in this near future have been treated and "cured" in utero).

The author did a great job of representing a wide variety of characters throughout the book. Lou's voice is distinct from the non-autistic characters in the book, appropriately focusing on specific descriptions and sensory observations instead of dialogue. The supporting characters represent a wide range of attitudes towards autistic people, from supportive and understanding friends to others who misunderstand or pity them.

The science fiction part of this book is extremely light. The biggest science fiction moment is advanced treatments for diseases. Briefly mentioned are solar powered cars, space-based employment and advanced global warming.

The only downside of the book was that the ending seemed rather abrupt and too cleanly tied up, I would have liked to see it fleshed out a bit more.

Audiobook Notes: Jay Snyder put on a decent performance, nothing overly groundbreaking but entertaining. There were places where the audiobook was difficult to follow and I would recommend a text version. My biggest issue was in distinguishing Lou's inner and outer dialogue. Lou is constantly thinking about what is said and translating speech idioms into his own words before responding. The audiobook often made it difficult to tell what was his inner dialogue and what he was saying in conversation.