A story between delirium and reality that hooks us and takes us on a journey full of visceral emotion.
The protagonist, in search of survival, enters a world beyond his control. Nothing is what it seems: mystery, shocks, discoveries and deceptions. His only option to stay alive is to flee.
The danger-filled escape leads him to meet quirky characters who accompany him on his way.
A delirious journey of hopeful self-discovery.
A story between delirium and reality that hooks us and takes us on a journey full of visceral emotion.
The protagonist, in search of survival, enters a world beyond his control. Nothing is what it seems: mystery, shocks, discoveries and deceptions. His only option to stay alive is to flee.
The danger-filled escape leads him to meet quirky characters who accompany him on his way.
A delirious journey of hopeful self-discovery.
“Be careful with delirium” a voice warns me, whispering in my ear.
“And also with madness,” a different voice continues.
However, I cannot listen to them, because I am trying to discuss more important things with my reflection in the concrete.
I find myself asking that stranger in front of me about existence, but I receive only silence and a crooked smile for an answer. He stares at me, expectantly. Then I shout at him, but he must not understand what I’m saying, as he remains silent and impassive.
I raise my fists in anger, expecting a reaction from my adversary. I prepare myself for battle, gathering all my strength and all my courage. Showing my fangs, I unleash the first blow, hoping that all hell will break loose.
And the only thing I get in return is the crunching of my own bones. There is no one in front of me anymore, and I do not understand why.
Damn demon, he has tricked me, I think to myself.
I pull back my bloody fist, assume a defensive stance, hoping the crooked-grinning demon will appear again at any moment. All my senses are alert; the adrenaline that runs through my veins convinces me this is a battle to the death and that the enemy is close, very close.
I turn around, and for the first time, I become conscious of where I am. It’s a small room with a low ceiling. The walls are made of smooth concrete, and everything is dark save for a dim light that slides through a small crack in the floor, right in the middle of the room.
Where’s the demon, damn it? I wonder.
I start pacing the small room looking for something to defend myself from my enemy when he reappears.
Then, a knocking sound.
“Who's there?” I ask, scared.
And the only one that responds is silence, a terrible silence.
I look at the room again, there are no doors or windows. I am alone.
Why did it sound like someone was calling?
Then, the knocking again.
“Show yourself!” - I shout, sure it is the demon with his games.
But the only thing I sense is the coldness of the concrete that surrounds me.
Then I sense a presence, and I hear someone whisper in my ear: "Run."
All the hairs on my body stand on end, and a tingling runs down my neck, shoulders and arms. I look everywhere, but I am still alone.
Until that moment, I feel pain in my hand and swelling in the wound of my knuckles.
The dim light gradually fades and in a short while, I stay completely in the dark.
This cannot be fucking happening to me, how did I end up in here to begin with?
Defeated and sore and in complete gloom, I have nothing left but to prostrate myself on the cold ground. I can only wait for the little ray of light to return and for the time being, stay alert.
Delirium and Light, the debut novel by Munir Lutfi González, is an entertaining, if relatively straightforward, delve into the modern human psyche, which provides pointed social commentary on the way that people live their lives in the modern day.
The best aspect of this novella is how easy to read and fast-paced it is. I finished it in just a couple of hours, and was never bored. This is particularly impressive for a debut novel, as there are no unnecessary details—every section either drives the narrative or enhances the wider critique in an effective way.
The plot in particular was relatively simple, the characters not being particularly deep either, but they served their purpose effectively. The events, characters, and conflicts of the book all develop the author's ideas about what's wrong with modern society and how we should become more compassionate, connected, self-loving, and environmentally conscious in our lives. If that was the purpose of writing this book, then it was certainly achieved.
The speedy and compelling plot was let down by some other aspects of the book, however, in particular the style and grammar. There were style inconsistencies at several points in the plot, with certain passages (particularly the sex scene) appearing to be written almost by a different author. There were also grammatical errors through the book, which ruined my immersion somewhat—they could easily be fixed with a thorough proofread before publication.
The central idea was also relatively transparent at times, making it feel a little like the author was hitting you over the head with their ideas. The places the protagonist finds himself in, the things he does, and the people he meets all tend to feel like unsubtle metaphors that barely mask their intention. On several occasions, I could tell a character (or, indeed, the narrative voice) was just saying what the author thinks, which isn't the end of the world but is again a trend which detracts from the reader's immersion. Perhaps that's more a problem with this genre of writing than this novella in particular, but it did bother me a little.
Overall, then, I'd say this is an entertaining way to spend a few hours and certainly wouldn't deter anyone from reading it. If you like to use other people's ideas on life as a platform to consider your own, and like relatively simple and easy-to-read narratives with clear stakes, then this might just be the book for you. Well done, Muni Lufti González.