Blue Chair

by Joyce Thompson

Through an astounding breakthrough in biological science, the State had found the means to conquer death by disease, bestowing that favor on citizens who chose to limit their number of offspring. As Eve Harmon, poet, wife, mistress, and mother of two, relives her past, meditating in her blue chair, she finds a power over death that the State with all its police and scientists had never imagined.

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1977

About the author

In 1994, Joyce Thompson took a leave of absence from her literary career to work on high tech’s cutting edge. How to Greet Strangers, her sixth novel, marks her return to her first love, fiction.

She is the author of five previous novels, two collections of short stories and a memoir. Her work has been published in six languages and frequently optioned for film.

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon reflection, I've changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars. Joyce Thompson can write, with the kind of clear, precise prose that is exactly my cup of tea. Whether she's examining the inner life of a 75 year old woman facing her own mortality, or explaining each step of a particularly invasive medical exam, I always know what she means. What a breath of fresh air, in the context of my recent struggles with certain contemporary novels, where "good writing" often entails a coy, vague use of language that leaves me guessing what is even being said or felt. I will certainly seek out more by this author.

The science fiction element of The Blue Chair is employed with a very light touch, but also essential to its plot and themes. And it resonates with truth, perhaps even more so now than when Thompson wrote it 50 years ago. In the unnamed country of the novel, some citizens are immortal, while for others the age of 75 means the end of all but palliative medical care until they die. It is a very familiar country, both metaphorically and literally.

Eve, our protagonist and narrator, is so real and alive as she works through the emotional and philosophical puzzle of illness and impending death. Thompson was a young (and I believe unpublished) author at the time she wrote this, but through an impressive act of imagination, insight, and empathy, managed to create and embody this memorable character.