Blindness – José Saramago

José Saramago's “Blindness” is a harrowing exploration of humanity stripped bare. The novel’s premise — a sudden, inexplicable wave of blindness — is a chilling backdrop for a descent into a Hobbesian world of survival and savagery.

The genius lies in his decision to strip characters of their names, reducing them to mere descriptors. This amplifies the dehumanization that rapidly occurs as society breaks down — you are no longer a person, you are merely what you can provide to others. 

In this sense, the line between victim or perpetrator becomes razor thin. Without identity, power structures emerge and crumble, and we all become vulnerable. This anonymity heightens the novel’s claustrophobic atmosphere and general unease.

The novel is best described as literary psychological horror, with set pieces reminiscent of both concentration camps and the Stanford Prison Experiment. The characters' confinement in an abandoned mental institution becomes a microcosm of a world gone feral. 

As resources dwindle and fear grows, the group descends into anarchy, revealing the darkness that many writers say lives within us all. The transformation of a seemingly ordinary group into a horde driven by primal instincts is a chilling indictment of our capacity for brutality.

Even before the characters escape the confines of their quarantine — which, unfortunately, was far less interesting but only accounts for about a quarter of the novel — we know the outside world will provide little reprieve. Yet, the seven main characters persist in a makeshift found family.

Saramago doesn’t shy away from the grotesque. Scenes of violence and depravity are unflinching but not gratuitous. Amidst the bleakness, there are glimmers of hope, most notably in the character of the doctor and his wife, who try to maintain a moral compass and continue to show empathy and compassion. 

While the novel's philosophical musings can occasionally slow the pace, its core is a gripping narrative of survival that fans of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” and Stephen King’s “The Stand” will appreciate. 

“Blindness” is not an easy read, due to the subject matter and that some of the translation is awkward (it was originally published in Portuguese). While I liked the anonymous characters, it also made it difficult to determine who was whom. All that to say, as an audiobook — narrated with gusto by Jonathan Davis — it requires a fair amount of concentration. 

This won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but if you like your dystopia served with equal parts empathy and revulsion this is well worth the time. Saramago published a sequel in 2004, and I am interested in continuing on this journey. 

Rating (story): 4/5 stars

Rating (narration): 3/5 stars

Format: Audiobook (library loan)

Dates read: August 7 – August 11, 2024

Multi-tasking: Not recommended. There are no chapters, the characters don’t have names and it is highly literary and introspective. This is not a great combination for audiobooks.