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A review by cliobemuzedbookworm
Disclosure by Michael Crichton
4.0
I would like to think of myself as a diverse reader, although I definitely didn't start out this way. I devoured fantasy after fantasy when I was young after discovering my love for books through fantasy literature. I quickly read nothing else than fantasy until out of a romantic wish to become a writer I studied English and Spanish language and literature. In my studies I was introduced to a whole new spectrum of literature, and I've tended to read more books that fell under the capital L section of the Literature versus literature debate. But, there are always exceptions. Fantasy, remains a big favorite and I've definitely daffled into Romance for a while. Give me a Stephen King book and I'll definitely enjoy myself, but ... give me a Michael Crichton and I'll finish the book in record time.
A lifetime of rewatching Jurassic Park led me to finally read the original novel on which the movie was inspired a couple of years ago and this has now lead to me finishing my fifth Crichton in four years. And while that doesn't amount to much statistically speaking that does put him pretty high on my most-read authors list.
So when I went to the library two weeks ago in search of 'Autumn' by Ali Smith, I paid extra attention, while skimming the available titles, when approaching the Crichton books. I've had my disappointments with some of his books, but still they are always fast-paced reads that can add some much needed lightweight balance to my reading life. I looked at 'Disclosure' purely because the title sounded familiar and in the current mediastorm surrounding sexual harassment, this definitely felt like an interesting read. I was however skeptical as this is a man's story about a female predator in a position of power. This could easily become a typical male portrayal and that might at once be the biggest problem I have with the book.
I started out slow and at page 60 I was still considering quiting on it, but then I got hooked and finished the rest of the book in just over 24 hours. The story centers around Tom, who is being passed over for a promotion in favor of ayoung female employee, with whom he used to be in a relationship. She is the boss's favorite and most of the men have reservations about her abilities to handle the technical aspects of the job. She invites him over to her office for a meeting and quickly pounces on him. When Tom eventually refuses her advances, after initially going along with her, she explodes and threatens to ruin his career. The next day Tom finds out she accused him of sexual harassment.
While this could easily end up being a male representation of the evil's of women infiltrating the workplace, it manages to steer away from that tone and tries for a much more egalitarian note. Not for nothing we find the following line quoted before the beginning of the novel: Power is neither male nor female.
The novel did set out adressing differences in the workplace since women have entered the scene and these put me off at first, but Crichton counterbalances his female predator with other examples of competent females and incompetent men in the workforce throughout.
Through Crichton's rendition of Tom's conflicting feeling, we also get an interesting in the feelings a victim has after being sexually harassed, a message that for some people might come across more vividly when seen in a male character. While at the same time, he raises the interesting issue of the impact a sexual harassment claim has upon a man and his reputation versus when a man accuses a woman of the same.
Thus Crichton raises a few interesting observations about gender equality and that in both ways many steps still need to be taken. He also clearly demonstrates how sexual harassment is a dangerous weapon that can be used in destroying someone's career.
What bothered me the most is his portrayal of the sexual predator, as it is so black and white. While she thus fit in with Crichton's usual narrative structure as being the problem that needs to be solved, it means that her character lacks all depth and that is always a shame. Multiple characters have this problem, as is often the case in Crichton's writing. Keeping these characters onedimensional creates clarity for the reader and allows for a focus on plot rather than character development.
Despite this flatness of his characters, I really liked the read and the story delved in deeper into the politics of company life than just this harassment case that started the ball rolling. Definitely won't be my last Crichton!
A lifetime of rewatching Jurassic Park led me to finally read the original novel on which the movie was inspired a couple of years ago and this has now lead to me finishing my fifth Crichton in four years. And while that doesn't amount to much statistically speaking that does put him pretty high on my most-read authors list.
So when I went to the library two weeks ago in search of 'Autumn' by Ali Smith, I paid extra attention, while skimming the available titles, when approaching the Crichton books. I've had my disappointments with some of his books, but still they are always fast-paced reads that can add some much needed lightweight balance to my reading life. I looked at 'Disclosure' purely because the title sounded familiar and in the current mediastorm surrounding sexual harassment, this definitely felt like an interesting read. I was however skeptical as this is a man's story about a female predator in a position of power. This could easily become a typical male portrayal and that might at once be the biggest problem I have with the book.
I started out slow and at page 60 I was still considering quiting on it, but then I got hooked and finished the rest of the book in just over 24 hours. The story centers around Tom, who is being passed over for a promotion in favor of ayoung female employee, with whom he used to be in a relationship. She is the boss's favorite and most of the men have reservations about her abilities to handle the technical aspects of the job. She invites him over to her office for a meeting and quickly pounces on him. When Tom eventually refuses her advances, after initially going along with her, she explodes and threatens to ruin his career. The next day Tom finds out she accused him of sexual harassment.
While this could easily end up being a male representation of the evil's of women infiltrating the workplace, it manages to steer away from that tone and tries for a much more egalitarian note. Not for nothing we find the following line quoted before the beginning of the novel: Power is neither male nor female.
The novel did set out adressing differences in the workplace since women have entered the scene and these put me off at first, but Crichton counterbalances his female predator with other examples of competent females and incompetent men in the workforce throughout.
Through Crichton's rendition of Tom's conflicting feeling, we also get an interesting in the feelings a victim has after being sexually harassed, a message that for some people might come across more vividly when seen in a male character. While at the same time, he raises the interesting issue of the impact a sexual harassment claim has upon a man and his reputation versus when a man accuses a woman of the same.
Thus Crichton raises a few interesting observations about gender equality and that in both ways many steps still need to be taken. He also clearly demonstrates how sexual harassment is a dangerous weapon that can be used in destroying someone's career.
What bothered me the most is his portrayal of the sexual predator, as it is so black and white. While she thus fit in with Crichton's usual narrative structure as being the problem that needs to be solved, it means that her character lacks all depth and that is always a shame. Multiple characters have this problem, as is often the case in Crichton's writing. Keeping these characters onedimensional creates clarity for the reader and allows for a focus on plot rather than character development.
Despite this flatness of his characters, I really liked the read and the story delved in deeper into the politics of company life than just this harassment case that started the ball rolling. Definitely won't be my last Crichton!