The truth is all around you
Thomas P– is exhausted. He's been travelling for work so much he barely knows where he is. And then, while waiting for a table at a restaurant, he sees someone from his past. Exactly as she was twenty years ago, when they first knew each other. Deeply shaken, he tries to carry on as if nothing happened.
But when it happens again, in a different restaurant, in a different city, Thomas's world begins to unravel. Haunted by a magnificent black parrot and a past he wants to forget, he becomes paranoid, unsure whether he can trust himself and the world around him.
After he sees another friend he thought he had forgotten, he realises he is lost and alone, and afraid of his own mind. Then an enigmatic woman tells him he is not seeing things but rather his memory has been mined to create life-like androids that are replacing the human race one by one.
And then he is arrested.
Will Thomas resist the mysterious woman and get his life back? Or will he join her cult and take up arms in the fight to save us all?
The Nucleus of Reality, or the Recollections of Thomas P—, is the story of a man trying to remember why he ended up losing everything but himself.
Assessment:
Plot: With intriguing and clever writing, the author has encouraged the reader to think about who he is and who others might actually be. The perceptions of the reader might go one of two ways: literal or metaphorical. The author makes the reader consider who we are in society; whether the reader will buy into the premise depends on how the reader interprets the story.
Prose/Style: Written in first person, the reader is in the main character’s head and can thoroughly understand his state of mind. Ultimately, the reader will want an explanation for the mysterious sightings that occur throughout the story.
Originality: The author has taken a chance with what could be an absurd idea, but it pays off. Creating a metaphor for society and helping the reader discover who they are in society. Occasionally the author addresses the reader creating even more buy into the surreality of the plot.
Character Development/Execution: Quirky characters surround a bewildered main character. The reader feels the confusion and relief he feels when given an explanation for his sightings. The characters that surround him hang in the peripheral vision of the reader, but when they show up, the reader’s curiosity is piqued.
Date Submitted: May 31, 2021
“A beautifully described story of a man trying to remember why he ended up losing everything but himself.”
“It’s not easy reading but it’s worth it. It’s one of the more realistic depictions of mental health that I have read recently.”
Trust me, you’re in for a mind-bending ride...I had no idea how it would end. That’s what I look for in a book — unpredictability.
“A clever interpretation of a man’s grief and depression.”
“The Nucleus of Reality is strange, existential, and curious. It might give you a lot to ponder about if you dig deep enough… [It] reminded me a tad of The Stranger by Albert Camus… [It's] a stream of consciousness first-person novel with the most unreliable narrator you’ve ever met.”
