robholden111 's review for:

Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World by Sabina Berman

4.0

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One of those rare novels that leaves you questioning what to feel, if anything, when you close it. Through a highly functioning autistic protagonist, Berman nearly undermines all of Western philosophy with simple, terse yet beautiful prose. Her choice of protagonist is perfect for her endeavor - a child would be the obvious choice (as, admittedly, her character is at the book's onset), an illogical, emotionally driven alpha-male the cliched choice, a beautiful and vulnerable woman the fashionably predictable one. But like Mark Haddon before her, Berman's choice makes for a much more powerful narrative. Descartes lies in shambles after the fiercely logical, unapologetically unintellectual renderings of savant Karen Nieto. Berman shows us what truly matters in the world, that if we would all stop to think and listen we would find that underneath it all we aren't so different, and that more often than not the right thing is easier done than we'd like to admit.