Flowers for Algernon
Daniel Keyes · 1966
Charlie Gordon's diary records his transformation from intellectual disability to genius and back, told in prose that shifts with his capacity. Formally perfect. Emotionally direct. The SF novel of the 1960s least likely to leave you unmoved.
The case against
Algernon declines on schedule, an early-warning system with whiskers, so you read the back half braced rather than surprised. Keyes expanded a perfect novelette by adding sexual hang-ups, a Freudian mother, and a bohemian neighbor, which lengthens the arc without deepening it. Peak Charlie is arrogant in ways the book only half-controls, condescending to the readers meant to grieve him.
Science Fiction & Fantasy · the Pro canon
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