The Diagnosis: A Novel (Paperback)

The story could have been rendered more effectively as a novella. The theme, though compelling certainly in this information and computer age, becomes cloying by the end of the book. We get it, Mr. Lightman. Human health and personal interactions are more fragile, indeed, than man's creations to improve both. They flourish while we founder.

What we don't get is the engaging storyline, the simple "what's-going-to-happen-next" delight in reading a story that entertains as it instructs, and reassures as it reveals. On this count, the novel fails committed readers who read on, faithfully, watching Bill Chalmers' mysterious condition deteriorate, undiagnosed. Then the book ends.

THE DIAGNOSIS is the story of Bill Chalmers, a Bostonian who spends far more time in cyberspace than he does in the "real" world. Bill is totally engrossed in his job-the processing of information-and he's totally dependent on things like mobile phones, PDAs and, most of all, the Internet. Chalmers' son, Alexander and his wife, Melissa, live their lives in cyberspace as well, all to their detriment rather than to their good.

One day, while Chalmers is running for the subway, he's distracted by a woman using a new type of mobile phone and a digital display involving stock quotes. The next thing he knows, he can't remember anything...not even his own name. Despite not knowing who he is or where he's supposed to be going, Chalmers gets on the subway and rides. And rides. And rides.

It gives nothing of the plot away to say the Chalmers' memory does return in a very short time, but he finds himself faced with another problem...he's behind in his work and it seems like he simply can't catch up. And, even though he's regained his memory, he still doesn't feel well and his productivity suffers, something he knows his company won't tolerate.

Despite setting up the story of Bill Chalmers and his loss of memory and productivity, Lightman switches gears, so to speak, in midstream and begins to focus on Chalmers' son, Alexander, instead. Here is where the book got a little strange for me.

Alexander, who decides he wants to take an online course on Plato, manages to break into the school's computer, download the course and send it to Bill. Now, the story cuts back and forth between Bill's flagging productivity, Alexander's desire to learn about Plato and goings on in ancient Athens. I have to say, I really didn't "get" the point of all of this.

Bill, meantime, is pressing his doctor, Dr. Petrov, for a definitive diagnosis as to his loss of productivity, his anxiety and the numbness and tingling in his arms and legs. Petrov, however, is very reluctant to confer a diagnosis on Bill. Instead, he sends Bill to a round of specialists who email their findings to Petrov who then emails Bill. More of the dreaded cyberspace. Bill's anxiety, as well as his other symptoms, increase, and he certainly doesn't find a sympathetic soul in Melissa. His wife is more annoyed with him than anything else.

To say more would give away too much of the plot, and especially the ending of THE DIAGNOSIS, but suffice it to say that it ends in cyberspace, just as it began and neither Bill's story nor Alexander's nor Melissa's nor even Socrates' ends on a wholly satisfactory note, but I think that's part of the book's theme.

I think computers are very convenient things to have around and I love online shopping, but I hate technical things. THE DIAGNOSIS is filled with texting and email jargon, much of which I simply didn't understand (and what I did understand, I loathed). Both the story and the characters failed to engage me, though Lightman is certainly an original writer and his prose is excellent. Even though I didn't enjoy reading the book, I do think it succeeded in doing what it set out to do, and, for that reason, I gave it four stars. I simply couldn't justify five, since I couldn't find anything engaging in the book. THE DIAGNOSIS focuses far more on theme than it does on plot of character.

If you like computers and cyberspace, you'll probably like this book. If you're like me, however, and you only like computers for the convenience they offer, then THE DIAGNOSIS probably won't be the right book for you. I kept wishing Lightman would change course and focus on character development instead of theme, but I don't think character is what this book is all about. Good, not great, and certainly not the delight that EINSTEIN'S DREAMS is.