I don't recall what encouraged me to add "The Empty People" by K.M. O'Donnell to my wish list, but it had been there for quite a while. I finally got my hands on it this last December and read it in the past couple of days. It's an old science fiction book; indeed, I believe I had a first edition copy of it, from 1969.
Ostensibly, it was about aliens abducting people and keeping them in cells. Some of the victims, though, had vastly different experiences...one, in particular, found himself with a growth in his brain that was supposed to be inoperable. His wife found a doctor who would perform a procedure, though, to remove it and to reassemble the man's brain. It doesn't go well.
There are several characters spread throughout the book each with different experiences with the aliens. Ultimately, the book is kind of confusing and haunting at the same time. For example, Archer, the character with the growth in his brain, is the husband to one of the abductees. Yet, even while he is being operated on, she is also in a cell awaiting her imprisoners' judgment. A couple of the characters, when confronted by someone else, end up seeing themselves, too. This adds to the confusion and unsettling nature of the story, though. It works. I wish I could chat with the author some to clarify my understandings, but that isn't a privilege that I'll enjoy. I'll just have to wonder....and think about it...
I enjoyed "The Empty People" rather well. It kind of reminded me of some other what's-really-going-on stories that I have enjoyed. There's not enough of those out there, in my opinion. I need to get some glue so that I can reassemble my book or at least attempt to. It literally fell apart in my hands as I read it. If I can't reassemble, then I'll let it go...maybe I'll buy a digital version to hold onto so I can re-read this sometime down the road. Now that I know what may have happened, it could help me navigate it as I go through it again.
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