Zero K by Don DeLillo - 4 stars (Subdue)

[Joy D]

Zero K by Don DeLillo - 4* - My Review

Protagonist Jeffrey Lockhart is the son of billionaire Ross Lockhart. After divorcing Jeffrey’s mother, Madeline, Ross married a younger woman, Artis, who is now dying of cancer. Ross is an investor in a cryonics program known as the Convergence. Located in a desert bunker near Uzbekistan, the facility preserves bodies for reanimation at a future time. Jeffrey travels to the facility to be with his father as Artis undergoes the procedure. Though he is healthy, Ross contemplates joining her. Jeffrey disagrees. The narrative follows this father-son conflict and gradually reveals secrets about the Convergence.

It starts with Artis as she decides on a death without the suffering that normally accompanies her disease. It switches focus to Jeffrey’s life in New York City, and the difficulties he faces, particularly within his romantic relationships. It later circles back to the facility, where Jeffrey discovers its inner workings.

This book starts off well and spurred my curiosity. The Convergence is a cult-like facility with eccentric workers, mannequins, and projected images of violence in the world. It has an unsettling vibe. I felt the sections set at the facility were the most compelling. I was less interested in Jeffrey’s personal life. The storyline includes an exploration of topics such as death, ethics, and immortality. It also touches on the importance of names, quality of life, and how money can distort priorities. I found this a thought-provoking (but grim) novel about the end of life.

“What happens to the idea of continuum- past, present, future- in the cryonic chamber? Will you understand days, years and minute? Will this faculty diminish and die? How human are you without your sense of time? More human than ever? Or do you become fetal, an unborn thing?”