Review of "Mania: A Novel" by Lionel Shriver

Author Lionel Shriver is an iconoclast who likes to stir the waters. That said, the premise of this book is really out there.

Author Lionel Shriver

The idea in this novel is that 'political correctness' in America has gone off the rails, and 'mental parity' (MP) is the new standard. This means all people are deemed to be equally intelligent. So, for example, Albert Einstein would not be considered smarter than Harold and Lloyd from the 1994 movie 'Dumb and Dumber.'


Albert Einstein

Harold and Lloyd from the 1994 movie 'Dumb and Dumber'

To go along with this thesis, language has been cleaned up, and words like stupid, dumb, dim, slow, thick, dense, etc. are forbidden. Schoolchildren using such lingo are sent to the principal's office, and 'bad words' in the home can lead to a visit from child protective services.

As a logical extension of this, there are no more tests in school, and no more SATs or ACTs; no GREs, MCATS or LSATs.



It's first come first served to get into college, law school, medical school, etc. There's no need to pass anatomy tests to become a surgeon; to be a competent engineer to design a car; to know chemistry to create vaccines; to master calculus to launch a space shuttle; and so on.



Any idiot (a verboten word) can be President of the United States or a Cabinet member, etc.



Television shows like Jeopardy are taken off the air; the New York Times has to stop publishing crossword puzzles; Sudoku games vanish; the worst movies win Academy Awards; the least talented actors and actresses get Oscars; and so on. You get the idea.



As the story unfolds, we follow along as Pearson Converse - an adjunct English professor at Verlaine University in Pennsylvania - navigates this new paradigm.



Before MP became the rage, Pearson was artificially inseminated with sperm from a 'gifted' man, and her two oldest children, daughter Zanzibar and son Darwin, are brilliant and talented.



Pearson's youngest daughter Lucy was conceived with Pearson's live-in partner Wade, who's a professional arborist.



Lucy is an average child who's learning nothing in the new school system. Lucy can't read, can't add numbers, and so on. Pearson tries to tutor Lucy at home, but the child is very resistant. Finally, when Lucy hears Pearson use the word 'stupid', the child becomes something akin to a Stasi spy, and reports her mother to the authorities.



Pearson is frustrated about her children: Zanzibar and Darwin are no longer being intellectually stimulated and Lucy is a dum-dum (forbidden word) informer. Moreover, most of the students in Pearson's English classes at Verlaine University pay no attention to her. In class, the pupils talk to each other and play games on their phones. The worst students sit with their arms folded and sneer, almost challenging Pearson to try to teach them anything.



Pearson's best friend is journalist Emory Ruth. At the beginning of the MP movement, Pearson and Emory would make fun of the MP movement (behind closed doors), acknowledging how silly (forbidden word) it was. However Emory is professionally ambitious, and seeing which way the wind is blowing, Emory soon publicly, loudly, and enthusiastically embraces the MP movement. Emory's broadcasts become filled with pro-MP rhetoric, and Pearson and Emory's friendship is severely strained.



Things in Pearson's home take a turn for the worse when Pearson's partner Wade, who's forced to hire an incompetent assistant arborist, is injured on the job. Wade's initial injuries are a sprained wrist and broken ankle, but a know-nothing surgeon cripples Wade; and know-nothing nurses almost kill Wade with the wrong medication.



After this, the situation in Pearson's household becomes dire, mirroring the conditions in the country. For the rest of the story, you'll have to read the book.

In real life, a mental parity movement in the United States would probably collapse the economy, and everything else, within a year (in my opinion). Can you imagine Russia, China, Iran, Iraq, etc. laughing themselves silly at an MP movement in the US? In fiction-land, however, this MP scenario plays out over almost two decades.

The novel 'Mania' is promoted as a funny satire, and there's plenty of dark humor, but I found the book more disturbing than entertaining. Still, it's an interesting take on popular culture, and well worth reading.

If you do read the book, I'd like to know what you think. 😃

Rating: 4 stars