Gray Matter

By Gary Braver

Book Overview

Rachel Whitman has everything. She's young, attractive, and affluent. Her husband is the brilliant CEO of his own company. They have a big new house in a flossy Boston suburb. They have all the brand-name "toys" that go along with wealth. And they have a gorgeous, sweet little six-year-old son named Dylan.But Dylan has learning disabilities. Although intelligence isn't everything, Rachel lives in a community where the rewards for brainpower are conspicuous. She fears her son will grow up never fully appreciating the wonders of life. Like so many middle-class parents who would do anything to improve life for their children-whether it means fixing hair, teeth, or nose-Rachel cannot accept that her child is less than perfect.Tortured by the idea that something she did in the past caused Dylan's problems, Rachel becomes obsessed with a secret and expensive medical procedure that claims to turn slow children into geniuses.Should she and her husband sacrifice their new fortune on the risky, experimental procedure for the sake of their son's happiness? Unaware of the real consequences of the brain enhancement procedure, Rachel can't know that the costs of the operation go far beyond financial ones.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312876130
• ISBN13: 9780312876135
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Gray Matter is great reading matter.

Like Braver's excellent previous novel, "Elixer," "Gray Matter" represents the bio-medical thriller at its best. While on one hand a true page turner -- fast-paced and suspenseful -- it also raises a number of controversial issues related to such subjects as the nature of human intelligence, experimental medical practices, and parental pressures to do what's best for their children (or perhaps more accurately, for themselves?) The story considers how far parents should -- and will -- go to ensure that their children grow up with all the advantages superior brain power offers. Moreover, what is the cost of enlisting extraordinary medical procedures to enhance thinking capabilities, especially in terms of the ultimate effects on the personalities of the young subjects? Gray Matter makes both your brain and heart race, its subject matter made even more compelling with the current discussions surrounding the recent announcements of human cloning efforts. I highly recommend this book.

A WORTHY FOLLOW UP TO ELIXIR

GRAY MATTER, just as its predecessor ELIXIR, evokes provocative moral and ethic questions. Gary Braver's thriller takes the reader on a brain-rattling race to save the spirit of a sweet, little boy named Dylan while forcing us to face our own feelings about the value of intelligence vs. humanness.Dylan's mother Rachel appears to have fallen prey to a savage scientist who clearly equates intelligence with the power to bring monetary wealth, which, in turn, will bring success and happiness to Dylan and his parents. The malevolent scientist promises to give Dylan the "tools" for a successful life through enhanced intellectual powers. A parade of character witnesses march across GRAY MATTER'S pages. As we see the dark side to intellectualizing the value of the human spirit, we are forced to confront our own feelings about the intrinsic value of what is "the good life." GRAY MATTER is a fast-paced page turner. Gary Braver magically weaves a deep, philosphical discussion into a great read.

Another Great Read from Gary Braver

Gary Braver's second novel, "Gray Matter" is the chilling portrait of an upscale urban community and the parents who will stop at nothing to see their children excel. When faced with their son Dylan's learning disability, Rachel and Martin Whitman turn to the mysterious Dr. Malenko who promises to enhance their son's IQ. But when the Whitman's learn the truth about the other 'enhanced' children, the struggle for Dylan's future begins."Gray Matter" looks at our obsession with raising perfect children and the lengths we will go to to achieve this goal. Braver's prose style shimmers with beauty and insight. He has written a Faust fable for our times and a great read any time.

A Profound Journey

Gray Matter takes you on a profound journey with Braver's sympathetic characters. There's universal appeal here. Every parent has moments when they wonder if their children could be "enhanced," whether or not they're learning disabled - whether through the use of tutors or in the extreme situation in Gray Matter, through brain surgery. I'm not a horror fan, but I love the way Braver draws you in and horrifies you. At several junctures, I found myself saying "Oh, no!" out loud (this was true with Elixir, Braver's earlier book, also excellent). While most of the brain altered kids are pretty scary to comtemplate, Brendan, a brain-altered teenager, is the exception and my favorite character. He's a fascinating young man whose mind doesn't function normally, and Braver does a superb job of letting you share his world. Gray Matter is an easy read and totally accessible even though it's 400 pages of thought-provoking intelligent material. That's Braver's great strength and what makes his books stay with you after you finish them. The writing and characterization is great and the plots are totally unique and close enough to reality to have profound implications. My last thought: He has some powerful descriptive passages,and I love the way he brings the Massachusetts setting to life, from the fictional wealthy suburb of Hawthorne to his description of Cambridge's Mass Ave: "With Harvard at one end and MIT at the other end, Mass Ave was like a giant filament blazing with the greatest concentration of mind power in the world." His use of language, for example, the way he uses the word "Incandescent", will draw you in and stay with you.