Title: The RemedyAuthor: Adam Haslett
Series: Dark Corners Collection #6
First Published: September 27, 2018
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Pages: 21
Genre: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Speculative Fiction
Format: Ebook
Source: Prime Reading
Rating:
Synopsis:
He’s a man with a body under siege—and the willingness to proceed with a cure so miraculous all one can do is gasp—in this chilling story by New York Times bestselling author Adam Haslett.
After years of traditional treatments and therapies, Derrick still suffers from pain ineluctable enough that it has become his identity. Then he hears of an exclusive, very private New York clinic that promises relief. It comes highly recommended by a friend. The multisession remedy unfolds as a sensorial wonder that’s so illuminating it’s enough to bring tears to Derrick’s eyes. It’s all working so well. So unexpectedly well.
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
I struggled a bit with The Remedy, though it managed to surprise me in some ways. It follows the story of a man that suffers from physical pain without any cause that can be pinpointed in medicine. He has tried every kind of doctor and therapy out there to try and alleviate his symptoms to no avail. The protagonist eventually stumbles on a highly exclusive, incredibly expensive, and extremely secretive form of therapy that promises a cure to his ailment.
What follows is what I found to be a thoughtful exploration of the nature of illness and the feelings of helplessness that come along with it. It is not uncommon for those suffering from some form of disease or any other ailment to feel like they’ve become a burden physically, emotionally, and financially. Illness can become something of a part of a person’s identity, and that can weigh heavily on them as their pain can become something monstrous and all-consuming, difficult to comprehend or control.
There is a touch of science fiction in this novel and it is definitely dark, but I’d hardly classify this as horror. It was a fast read because it felt like a fever dream with the cold harshness of reality always waiting in the wings. For a short story, it’s okay, but it’s the type of story that I would have liked a little more from. The discussion of illness and the ending were good, but everything in between felt like it was filled in to get from point A to point B.
Quote
“She hadn’t requested a list of symptoms. Your experience of your condition as a whole—that’s what she wanted to know.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Adam Haslett
Adam Haslett is the author of three works of fiction: Imagine Me Gone, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award; the short story collection You Are Not a Stranger Here, also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; and the novel Union Atlantic, winner of the Lambda Literary Award and shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize. His books have been translated into eighteen languages, and his journalism on culture and politics have appeared in The Financial Times, Esquire, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, The Nation, and The Atlantic Monthly, among others.
He has been awarded the Berlin Prize by the American Academy in Berlin, a Guggenheim fellowship, and the PEN/Malamud and PEN/Winship Awards. In 2016, he received the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters.
A graduate of Swarthmore College, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and Yale Law School, he has been a visiting professor at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Columbia University. He lives in New York City.
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