Book Review: Bellwether by Connie Willis
Connie Willis is my favourite [living] author. Her style is very familiar to me now and, even though it’s one that apparently annoys some readers, I just love it.
Although it won many scifi awards, this book is best described as a romcom and is an easy enjoyable read for all, no matter what your level of interest in the scifi genre is.
Sandra is a scientist, working for a corporation called HiTek, where she studies fads. Bennett is another scientist for the firm, studying chaos theory. They meet when HiTek’s incompentent admin assistant, Flip, delivers a package to Sandra instead of Bennett’s lab partner. From there, Flip continues to be the catalyst for a series of mishaps and miscommunications which elicit slapstick comedic events and hilarious running jokes.
Sandra and Bennett are very likeable leads. Sandra is full of subtle snark and sarcasm. Bennett is the classic rumpled absent-minded professor. I couldn’t help thinking of one of my favourite movies, the Hepburn/Tracy classic Desk Set, when reading. The book has similar themes of technology being used for profit.
Some people say this isn’t scifi in their reviews but it is in the a bit of a 1984 sense, with the boss of HiTek known by no other name but ‘Management’. I’m pretty sure anyone whose workplace has more than about ten employees can relate to Management. I’ve definitely sat through one of these team building meetings where crazy catch phrases and acronyms are thrown at me far too many times.
The other scifi aspect is the fads which Flip and co are following. They get sillier and funnier as the book progresses. You might say they are so mad that they could never be real but then, in between each chapter, Willis presents us with some actual fads throughout history and you realise anything is possible.
This is also a book about books. Sandra’s visits to the library spotlights many classics.
I could actually wax lyrical for longer which is a sign of how much I loved this book as, unlike the other Willis books I’ve read, this is a short read. In fact, one of the awards it won was for a novella. I appreciated that though; the plot never had a chance to get boring.
I actually listened as it’s a freebie on Audible but I’m definitely going to try and find it in paperback to add to my Willis collection (the other books of which I had to purchase from overseas as she really isn’t on anyone in Australia’s radar sadly). Obviously 5 stars.
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