Book #42: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
Solaris by Stanisław Lem
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book; the narrative style was quite dense, so it was hard to get into at first, but at times it put me in mind of Jules Verne.
Most of the novel is set on board a spaceship, which is in orbit above the "Solaris" ocean, and involves characters encountering hallucinations. These appear to have contributed to the mysterious death of one of the on-board scientists. Most significantly, the book's narrator has visions of his lover Harey, who died 20 years ago.
But these aren't typical hallucinations, as somehow Harey seems completely tangible; other characters can see her, he can take a blood sample from her, and he even shuts her in a space shuttle at one point. She also seems to be unusually sentient for a hallucination, even acknowledging that she isn't real. The book does give an explanation, although it wasn't something I found easy to understand because of the techical language involved.
Instead, I enjoyed it for the interactions between the narrator and Harey, and his obvious fixation with wanting to spend time with her, despite knowing that she is just a hallucation. I found the book touching, moving and very sad in places. Definitely a recommended book.
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