The Speed of Light: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

During a recent two-week vacation, I indulged in reading the main, published works of a single author; something I had not done since I was a young man--when Time seemed more plentiful--who was known to periodically disappear from consensus ‘reality,’ to read all of Proust, or Thomas Mann, or Virginia Woolf (to name just a few whom I imbibed, in massive doses). Such blissfully focused immersion into the sense and sensibility of a single author is like having an intimate conversation with a stranger; one where the deepest mysteries of life are touched upon—and then you disappear back into your individual lives.I had originally heard about Elizabeth Rosner’s first novel, THE SPEED OF LIGHT, several years ago. It sat unread on my shelf for a number of years, until I recently encountered her latest book, SURVIVOR CAFE, a moving blend of memoir, investigation of trauma, and a poignant plea for honoring the voices of the (rapidly disappearing) survivors. Upon finishing that book, I became highly curious to know how Rosner’s voice ‘sang’ in a fictional mode. Over the course of those blessed two weeks, I immersed myself in each of her three elegant, elegiac, and mysterious novels, beginning with THE SPEED OF LIGHT, moving onto BLUE NUDE, and finally, the—truly, and literally—luminous ELECTRIC CITY. (I pray that another novel is in the wings.)Rosner is a writer of great subtlety and power, a master of oblique revealing. Her work is haunting and mysterious, with many portals leading into what I can only call the numinous strata of Life. All four of her books deserve a wide readership; and they all, mysteriously, seem somehow connected, both thematically and stylistically. In my personal opinion, her art has deepened with each of these three novels; though I must admit that she kind of hit it out of the park with this first one, THE SPEED OF LIGHT.Rosner’s characters seep into your soul; they…live. THE SPEED OF LIGHT, focused on three main characters, each a deeply wounded survivor of trauma, is like a haunting piece of chamber music. Told in three alternating voices (a brother and sister who are the children of holocaust survivors, and their housekeeper, Sola, who has witnessed horrific atrocities up close and personal), the novel took me into an intimate world that I did not want to leave.By the end of the book, it felt like I was inside each of the characters; their mind, heart…soul; looking out at their world—haunting, amazing.THE SPEED OF LIGHT gradually unfolds a profound arc of healing for its three haunted and questing characters, each of whom are scarred by agonized memories. Rosner subtlety depicts Paula, Julian, and Sola’s tentative, then strengthening quest for connection; for reconciliation with the past, helixed with their fear and trembling as they navigate towards a tentative, yet hopeful future.I was especially moved by that powerful moment at the end of the book, when Paula, an opera singer, reflects that, “The mourning had to be inside the music. The losses belonged to me, to my voice, and the sound had to contain them too…I hadn’t ever found it before, the space between my bones and the bones of the dead.” That whole passage somehow read to me like a beautiful credo of Rosner’s art, in the ancient sense of evoking wonder and awe as one contemplates their mission in life.The above passage comes as Paula begins to painfully integrate the shattering knowledge of her father’s experiences in the holocaust, the trauma of which both she and her autistic brother, Julian, have ‘inherited.’ Rosner writes: “…that was the discovery I had to make for myself: the mourning had to be inside the music. The losses belonged to me, to my voice, and the sound had to contain them too. Maybe it shouldn’t have been true but it was: something became wider inside me, the space I hadn’t been using because I hadn’t ever found it before, the space between my bones and the bones of the dead. No one could have taught this to me, this resonance. I didn’t know what the words meant, I sang in a mysterious and ancient tongue. But for the first time in my life my voice was coming from all that openness inside me, the cavernous chambers of my heart and lungs, and the nameless substance that carries the memories and experiences and wisdom and suffering of the ones who came before us.”Like Paula’s beautifully rendered ‘awakening,’ reading Rosner’s SPEED OF LIGHT, and indeed, each of her works, can have a similar, opening effect on the reader—at least it did for this reader. She writes from within an eloquent mourning, finding poetry amid the ashes, song that soars inside our sorrows. As this poetic novelist writes:“I was singing in the voice of that broken violin, the suffocated cantor, the unspoken agony of my father with the weight of those bodies in his arms. I poured the sound waves back into space. Over and over, I was filled.”Amen!

Although the pace of the first few ...several...chapters is slow and dark, a little faith will carry the reader to the early middle of the book, where the pace picks up --- and then things start happening at The Speed of Light. There is a lot to satisfy an avid reader, even in the slower early chapters -- mainly complex characters that one starts to root for and develop hope for, not to mention the poetic, lyrical, spectacular writing. This book took Rosner ten years to write but the writing is gorgeous, fresh and neither tortured nor overworked. The scientific definitions that begin several of Julian's chapters are directly connected to something about to happen, and sometimes resonate in a humorous way. For example, the definition of cycle precedes a trip to the laundromat. (well, I found it funny.Anyway, the three main characters are worth rooting for. Each one of them is deeply damaged and the book (and the science behind the definitions) resonates with the importance of connection, the poison of isolation. When the characters bear witness to each others' pain, magic happens.I have to say, I am deeply grateful that I kept reading this novel (based in part on the author's parents' histories). It is a gem -- and not a semi-precious one. It really moved me. And the writing is gorgeous. Oh I already said that, didn't I?! Two more points: If reading on the Kindle, go to settings and reset fonts to PUBLISHER's FONTS...it will make reading easier. OH! And be sure to read the interview with the author at the back of the book. It isw a splendind interview which sheds a lot of light onto the author's process and the creative journey.

I finished this book sitting on the BART subway, heading home from work. I felt a pang of longing as I put down the weathered, heavily underlined pages. Julian and Sola and Paula are now a part of me--their stories resonating with my deepest feelings about love, connectedness, and purpose.I've recommended the book to just about everyone I know and bought copies for my two daughters. I read from it to my ladyfriend--Isaac's inspiring words to Paula, a soprano who gains suppressed knowledge about her father and loses her voice. No more powerful words have I read in literature.(When I first read this part I was standing on BART, book in one hand, heading for work. I couldn't contain the tears. I walked up the stairs into the light of morning in a daze, wiping my eyes.)Thank you, Liz, for enduring whatever it took to create this work.People who are psychologically well-defended may not "get it". But if you are capable of making the trip with both eyes open, this book will take you to unforgettable places, deepening your knowledge and understanding of the human condition.

I loved this book. My sister and I read it at the same time, and it was the fodder for much conversation. I loved the language that Ms. Rosner used. It was poetic and beautiful (especially Sola's voice) but not overdone. Julian is also a beautiful character. I find it interesting that none of the reviews list him as having Asperger's or OCD. This was one of the biggest conversations my sister and I had concerning the plot; Julian's diagnosis and Sola's homeland. We finally concluded that Julian had mild Asperger's and (with Twitter and Rosen's help) that Sola is from El Salvador.If you are looking for an engaging, moving book, try The Speed of Light. It would be an excellent choice for a book club!

Quite a unique novel that at times rings poetic. I had to restart reading to take notes so I could remember what 'type' referred to which protagonist. It is is story of how silence affects adolescents and how they become damaged unless they break the silence. Alternatively frustrating but entrancing to read in the beginning. So very glad I persevered to the end; this is modern literary fiction excellence.

I liked the way each character's voice was heard.

This was a magnificent read, beautifully and impeccably written and paced, page-turning and absorbing, the tragedy of life approached so compassionately that one is warmed by hope.