Dissolution

Binge (Ascension) combines a suspenseful plot with an inventive structure in this unnerving sci-fi thriller told mainly through transcripts of a strange interrogation. In 2021, octogenarian Margaret Webb is questioned by Hassan, a stranger, who insists that she try to remember the events that brought her to his interrogation room before "dissolution" happens in 11 hours. This setup--which is as disorienting for the reader as it is for Margaret--makes turning pages to find out what is going on compulsive. Hassan tells Margaret that her husband, Stanley, a resident at an assisted-living facility, is in danger due to his involvement in a research study, and that her memories are vital to his safety. Flashbacks to the 1950s fill in some of the blanks, starting with Stanley's time as a protégé of Professor Waldman, who believes that "human memory possesses unlimited depths." Binge nimbly toggles between present and past, keeping his foot on the gas as he gradually reveals what's preceded Margaret's interrogation. With plausible science and multifaceted characters, this high-octane outing excites. (Mar.)

A mind-blowing science-fiction novel that plumbs the edges of memory and time. The story begins with Maggie trying to support her husband, Stanley, as his dementia progresses. Maggie meets a mysterious man who tells her that her husband doesn't actually have dementia; instead, Stanley's memory is waning because he is the subject of a secret experiment from which he must be rescued. The novel alternates between Maggie's story in the present day and flashbacks to Stanley's past as he grows up to be the brilliant man his wife now knows and loves. Stanley's story is that of a gifted child who finds his way to a prestigious school as a scholarship student, and from there encounters a quirky professor who's willing to take him under his wing. The mystery of Stanley's mind and memory unravels as Maggie uses the stranger's technology to travel back in time and space through her own recollections, in a novel about memory, what it means to be human, and the nature of time itself. VERDICT Binge's (Ascension) latest offers a profound depth of ideas wrapped in a thrilling sci-fi story.--Jeremiah Rood