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If a handful of novels get published from now through December that are as
accomplished as Allegra Goodman’s Intuition, then 2006 will be a fine
year for
fiction. Intuition examines the world of the cancer research scientist on
a
detailed and compelling canvas, part character study, part mystery, and part
quest for elusive, scientific truths. The characters in this novel are trying
to break through the wall of the unknown, and they experience the
disappointments that accompany such a journey. Goodman depicts this world in
elegant prose that renders the story in great depth.
When the novel opens, Sandy Glass and Marion Mendelssohn, co-directors of the
Cambridge based Philpott Institute, are unhappy with the work of the once
promising Cliff Bannaker, but when his project unexpectedly shows signs of
progress as observed by one of the other scientists, Glass decides to promote
the results in the press and garner needed funding.
It is at this point of discovery that the character studies take off, with Glass
and his grandiose plans, Mendelssohn and her scientific caution, Cliff and his
unclear motives, and his associate and girlfriend Robin, who suspects that his
findings are fraudulent, though her hunch is undermined by envy.
Goodman persuasively inhabits the inner life of each of these major characters,
as well as an interesting mix of minor characters such as Glass’s teenage
daughter Kate, who, while imbued with the spirit of literature, brings to bear
the works of John Donne, Oscar Wilde and others in her conversations with
Cliff.
This stroke suggests that even a novel with science as its subject can’t do
without a literary scholar (did anyone doubt it?) to provide the proper context
and meaning.
The reader will be engaged as Goodman explores the interconnected worlds of
science and literature, science and law, science and business, and science and
politics. Cancer research is presented as a frustrating discipline of trial and
error made tougher by moral quandaries. Each of the characters is a study in
self-deception and self-discovery. While the journey to the end is difficult,
the characters at the close of this book appear to see the world a bit
differently, possibly from a position of enlightenment, in the tradition of a
Jane Austen novel, thereby making Goodman’s Intuition a thought-provoking
read.
Review by Todd Robins, March 9, 2006
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