Maurice Gee — Blindsight

Penguin 2005 Paperback, 192pp. Alice Ferry is a retired Wellington scientist, a mycologist (fungi is her thing). One day a young man knocks on her door. Adrian is a great-nephew she never knew she had, the grandson of her brother Gordon. As her story unfolds we learn of her childhood with Gordon in West Auckland and of the divergent paths their lives have taken. While Alice has gone on to have a successful career, Gordon has mentally deteriorated to the point where he is a silent derelict living on the streets of Wellington. Adrian wants to meet him. But Alice resists. As Adrian persists, Alice becomes more and more edgy. What is she hiding from her nephew? How has Gordon ended up in this state? And what does Alice have to do with it? Blindsight shows Gee the master playing with characters and complex story structures with immense skill. (ISBN: 9780143020233). Good.