The Visible Man: A Novel
New York Times bestselling author of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and Downtown Owl, “the Ethicist” of the New York Times Magazine, Chuck Klosterman returns to fiction with his second novel—an imaginative page-turner about a therapist and her unusual patient, a man who can render himself invisible.
Therapist Victoria Vick is contacted by a cryptic, unlikable man who insists his situation is unique and unfathomable. As he slowly reveals himself, Vick becomes convinced that he suffers from a complex set of delusions: Y__, as she refers to him, claims to be a scientist who has stolen cloaking technology from an aborted government project in order to render himself nearly invisible. He says he uses this ability to observe random individuals within their daily lives, usually when they are alone and vulnerable. Unsure of his motives or honesty, Vick becomes obsessed with her patient and the disclosure of his increasingly bizarre and disturbing tales. Over time, it threatens her career, her marriage, and her own identity.
Interspersed with notes, correspondence, and transcriptions that catalog a relationship based on curiosity and fear, The Visible Man touches on all of Chuck Klosterman’s favorite themes—the consequence of culture, the influence of media, the complexity of voyeurism, and the existential contradiction of normalcy. Is this comedy, criticism, or horror? Not even Y__ seems to know for sure.
Therapist Victoria Vick is contacted by a cryptic, unlikable man who insists his situation is unique and unfathomable. As he slowly reveals himself, Vick becomes convinced that he suffers from a complex set of delusions: Y__, as she refers to him, claims to be a scientist who has stolen cloaking technology from an aborted government project in order to render himself nearly invisible. He says he uses this ability to observe random individuals within their daily lives, usually when they are alone and vulnerable. Unsure of his motives or honesty, Vick becomes obsessed with her patient and the disclosure of his increasingly bizarre and disturbing tales. Over time, it threatens her career, her marriage, and her own identity.
Interspersed with notes, correspondence, and transcriptions that catalog a relationship based on curiosity and fear, The Visible Man touches on all of Chuck Klosterman’s favorite themes—the consequence of culture, the influence of media, the complexity of voyeurism, and the existential contradiction of normalcy. Is this comedy, criticism, or horror? Not even Y__ seems to know for sure.
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Community Reviews
I enjoyed Klosterman's other books, like Fargo Rock City, but I wasn't sure how I would like a fiction novel from him. Turns out.... I really liked this.
The Visible Man is written in the form of a manuscript and transcripts of sessions by therapist Victoria Vick for the patient Y___. Interesting way to set up the novel and it works really well, telling the complete story. Y___ calls up Vick and asks for phone therapy, no face to face, and Vick agrees. He seems quite a bit arrogant and quite intellectual. Both in equal doses. But honestly, I wanted to punch him just through the phone calls.
Anyways, Y___ lets Vick know that he's created a suit and cream that make him virtually invisible. And that while he goes about his social experiments in the invisible suit, he feels like he should have guilt and that is why he is talking to a therapist.
Y___'s social experiments are just plain creepy. While invisible he creeps in to people's houses to observe them, to find out how people are really their true selves when alone. But he hardly remains an observer, despite his protests that he does. Things get overly involved between patient and therapist and quickly get out of hand.
This is a really good, original story that kind of gave me the creeps.
The Visible Man is written in the form of a manuscript and transcripts of sessions by therapist Victoria Vick for the patient Y___. Interesting way to set up the novel and it works really well, telling the complete story. Y___ calls up Vick and asks for phone therapy, no face to face, and Vick agrees. He seems quite a bit arrogant and quite intellectual. Both in equal doses. But honestly, I wanted to punch him just through the phone calls.
Anyways, Y___ lets Vick know that he's created a suit and cream that make him virtually invisible. And that while he goes about his social experiments in the invisible suit, he feels like he should have guilt and that is why he is talking to a therapist.
Y___'s social experiments are just plain creepy. While invisible he creeps in to people's houses to observe them, to find out how people are really their true selves when alone. But he hardly remains an observer, despite his protests that he does. Things get overly involved between patient and therapist and quickly get out of hand.
This is a really good, original story that kind of gave me the creeps.
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