TITLE: Bellweather
AUTHOR: Connie Willis
STARTED: August 22, 2010
FINISHED: August 31, 2010
PAGES: 247
GENRE: Fiction
FIRST SENTENCE: Hula Hoop (March 1958-June 1959) The prototype for all merchandising fads and one whose phenomenal success has never been repeated.
SUMMARY: [From Amazon.com
] Here-and-now speculative yarn involving chaos theory and statistical prediction, from the author of the fine Doomsday Book (1992), etc. Employed by the HiTek company, Sandra Foster is trying to develop a theory that can predict how and why fads and trends begin. But her attempts to computerize her data (mostly in the form of magazine and newspaper clippings) are constantly frustrated by the awful Flip, the erratic, forgetful, careless interdepartmental assistant. Still, Flip does lead Sandra to meet biologist Bennett O'Reilly, who thinks he's discovered a hidden factor within current chaos theories. As Flip blunders about--ghastly black lipstick, weird clothes, faddish accessories, attitude problem and all-- Sandra and Bennett decide to set up a joint project to test their ideas on the behavior of a flock of sheep. HiTek's management heartily approves--such a project might well win the coveted Niebnitz Grant. Sandra and Bennett learn that a bellwether sheep unconsciously acts as a catalyst to determine the entire flock's behavior. Bingo! Flip, while seeming totally incompetent, unknowingly acts as a human bellwether, causing fads and trends to crystallize around her as she lurches chaotically through life. Willis's intriguing notion comes across with the authority of a genuine insight--and probably merits a more dramatic and thoroughgoing workout than the agreeable but bland treatment it receives here. THOUGHTS:The zaniest thing about reading this book is that I had to remind myself that it was fiction. The story itself was obviously fiction, but each chapter begins with factual information about a real-life fad. It was those moments I actually found most interesting about the book. Otherwise, it was just an okay read for me.
It was hard to tell if Willis wanted this book to be more about fads or a love story. I was more interested in the fads, so the love story felt unneeded to me. In some ways, it almost felt like it was shuffled in to please an editor. I think part of the reason the love story felt blase is because the characters, while interesting, never fully grabbed my attention. Except for Flip, no one felt special or wholly realized. The characters were not necessarily bad, they just felt kind of flat.
Additionally, I had one major problem with this book. The people who are swept up in the fads are, save for one, portrayed as complete idiots. I know they are meant to parallel the stupid sheep in the fad experiment, but this style felt forced. Furthermore, it simply pissed me off. Not everyone who follows fads is an idiot without a brain. Willis' handling of this point felt preachy and elitist. It bugged me to the point that it almost made me not like the book.
That said, this was an interesting read and I look forward to Saturday's book group discussion about the text.
RATING: 6/10 [Good]
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