“Blindness” by Jose Saramago

A contagious form of blindness has hit the world. Everywhere people are getting blind.  This form of blindness known as white blindness is highly contagious and infects anybody who comes into contact with an infected person. The government isolates all those infected with the disease or suspected of having been exposed to the disease. Only one person so far is immune to the epidemic.  

The horrific state of affairs, the scatological imagery , the filth, the helplessness of the infected , the selfishness, greed  and pure evil exhibited  underscores the fact calamity does not necessarily make people good.   

Without proper functioning institutions and the maintenance of law and order, people descend into a form of nature. However, the selfish need to survive in this form of state of nature makes people still bond together in order to further the interest of their group to the detriment of others. The level that humanity descends can only be described as totally barbaric.

Jose Saramago in this novel shows why he is a literary genius. No doubt he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1998. Blindness or to be specific white blindness, a totally boring theme is used by Saramago to weave a plot which is interesting and touches the soul and heart of the reader.

The language is beautiful. The book reads more or less as if the reader is an observer witnessing the   events unfolds before him or her. He proves the irrelevance of our attachment to mundane things in the world. In the end Saramago is able to effectively pull off a realistic and tragic portrayal of humanity.  

“Prince of Fire” by Daniel Silva

In the “Prince of Fire”  Israeli and Jewish establishments are being attacked across the world. An audacious attack on the Israeli embassy in Rome is the most recent. This devastating and sophisticated attack led to the recall of Gabriel Allon to Israel to lead the haunt for the perpetrators especially its ringleader.

The leader Khalid is an almost a mythical figure. Hidden in plain sight he is able to coordinate and mastermind hits on prominent Israeli and Jewish targets. He is intelligent as well as meticulous. 

He proves more than a worthy match for the Israeli intelligence. Khalid has a vendetta against Allon.  Attacking Israel and Allon will be killing two birds with one stone. All the resources of the state of Israel  is deployed to aid in Allon’s victory over Khalid led terrorist cell.

Khalid is determined not be the third prominent casualty unable to defeat the Israelis. He makes it a priority to live to see his crowning moment. Allon too is determined to live in order to defeat Khalid in his tracks. The stage is set for the confrontation and the great battle of survival and tactics.

Daniel Silva demonstrates great storytelling ability in the novel “Prince of Fire”. It is highly researched and has a journalistic flair for detail comparable to Frederick Forsyth’s novels. Silva thrills readers and then brings about twist and turns in the plot leaving the reader guessing and entertained.