BLINDSIGHT

Blindsight ($17.50; Aug. 16, 1996; 120 pp.; 0-8076-1414-9): An intense short novel by the late journalist (and author of several confessional fictions—My Parents, 1994, etc.), this set in an institution for the blind and focused on the love-hate relationship of a pair of inmates who suggest a sadomasochistic David and Lisa. Their meticulous determination to explore all other senses available to them climaxes in the formation of a menacing mÇnage Ö trois and a horrific (though oddly amusing) ending that springs, all too logically, from their fascination with cheap horror movies. Hothouse-urbane, and not for every taste—though all should appreciate the brilliant pun that proves the novel's English title.