MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN

by H.F. Saint ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 28, 1987

This first novel about a securities analyst rendered invisible in a freak explosion arrives with much fanfare: a $1 million-plus movie deal, gigantic paperback bid, huge ad budget. The hoopla is well-deserved. Saint, a New York City businessman, has created a classic adventure tale here, a gripping story narrated by a man on the run that brims over with invention, humor, pathos, and cover-to-cover excitement. Nick Halloway, 30-ish Wall Streeter, visits a high-tech plant in N.J. devoted to magnetic-field studies. Caught inside, alone, when anti-nukers sabotage the plant, he is knocked out by an explosion, waking up to find himself suspended in midair above a spherical crater. He soon realizes that he is lying on the floor of the plant, which, along with all else within a 40-yard radius, is now invisible. Saint's meticulous elaboration of Nick's exploration of the invisible plant (which does so much to invest the incredible premise with believability) is fascinating and fully convincing, as are Nick's measures--once he figures out that as an invisible man he'll be a prime guinea pig for government scientists--to elude the intelligence agents who arrive on the scene and try to capture him. Nick collects seven bundles of invisible objects, then burns the plant to the ground and escapes with his booty to his NY apartment. There, after a few days spent learning more about the marvels and perils of invisibility--foods digest in rainbow colors in his stomach; taxis, unable to see him, nearly mow him down--he is tracked down by a government task force. He narrowly escapes and henceforth leads a shadow's life, taking refuge in his men's club, then in private apartments, using phones and market savvy to build a new identity and fortune. Hounded by the task force, he slowly adjusts to his new life, reveling in voyeurism (he watches more than one couple make love), drowning in loneliness, marveling at the ironies of invisibility. He eventually starts an affair with a woman who believes he's a ghost (and here, as elsewhere, Saint's careful setup produces credibility) and, with her love as the prize, finds courage to foil the task force for good. Great fun, but something more, too: one of those rare books that allows readers to share a magical experience and feel it as their own. Expect a sizable audience.

Pub Date: April 28, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987

Categories: FICTION