Where The Lights Glow Darkly
| Author | Mohammed Nadir |
|---|---|
| Country | Gassasinia |
| Language | Gassasinian |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Set in | 2057 |
| Publisher | Ghorayeb Publishing |
Publication date | 1990 |
Published in English | 1992 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Hardback) |
| Followed by | How Can The Sun Cast a Shadow? |
Where The Lights Glow Darkly is a dystopian science fiction novel by the Gassasinian author Mohammed Nadir published in 1990. Where The Lights Glow Darkly follows Bruce Kafrouny, a disabled man from a working-class background who struggles to make it in the cut-throat corporate world of Jabiyah, where a strict caste system between the "educated" - seen as enlightened and progressive who are allowed to vote - and the "uneducated" - seen as backwards and idiotic. Although claiming to express the virtues of equality, in reality the highly capitalistic and consumerist society of 2057 Gassasinia creates a playing field whereby it is difficult for the disadvantaged to get an equal footing to those who come from a more privileged background.
Where The Lights Glow Darkly was written as a cautionary tale about the enthusiastic and unrestrained approach to capitalism undertaken by Gassasinian society during the radical transition from a developing to a developed country throughout the 1980's and early 1990's. Mohammed Nadir believed that Gassasinia's rapid growth risked leaving the disadvantaged in the dust as society became more self-interested, and strayed away from the family structure that helped people in their times of need.
Background
Where The Lights Glow Darkly is set in Jabiyah in the year 2057, a major international business centre which has become known as one of the largest and most affluent cities in the world, with the highest average income in the world. Although most of the population consists of well-off professionals, the city hides an under-belly of working-class citizens working menial jobs, whom are restricted to their own legislated caste whereby they are deprived of civil rights.
In the book, there is an officially legislated caste system which is split between two castes:
- "Educated" persons, officially defined as those with a bachelor's degree whom work in the professional corporate world. Those from the "educated" caste are allowed to vote, run for government and can seek government loans and investment. The Educated as seen as politically progressive and forwards-thinking.
- "Uneducated" persons, whom consist of the working class population. Often looked upon as dumb and backwards, the "uneducated" are wrongly stereotyped as reactionary and are often looked upon by the middle class with a mixture of pity, condescension and scorn. The Uneducated class cannot vote, work for the government, or be elected to office. They are subject to random spot-searches, constant surveillance and unwarranted searches by police, and are subject to restrictions on their speech.
Although the Gassasinian government and society officially espouse attitudes of equality, in reality Gassasinian society's rigorously competitive and perfectionist nature leaves little opportunities for those from a disadvantaged background. Disability equality legislation is frequently ignored when it becomes too expensive to accommodate those disadvantages, and even those from a working class background whom manage to achieve social mobility continue to be looked down upon by those whom already came from a privileged background.
Family life and friendship in this futuristic prediction of Gassasinian society have been broken down, and replaced by hollow corporate relationships which are mainly leveraged to further oneself in society. The break-down of the Gassasinian family structure - traditionally extensive and tightly knit - has only furthered the rigorous and unforgiving nature of Gassasinian society, meaning that there is little in the way of a social safety net to fall back upon in the event of strenuous circumstances.
Empathy and morals have slowly been ground away, and well-intentioned progressive social movements have been co-opted by a self-righteous middle-class whom use said social movements as a tool to fake their virtuous nature to their peers rather than to help improve the lives of the oppressed. Social-standing is held to high regard, and persons often engage in pseudo-intellectual and consumeristic practices to show how supposedly "complex" and "cultured" they are.
As Gassasinia lost it's own roots, the Gassasinian language, and Gassasinia's other minority and immigrant languages, have become almost completely extinct due to the prevalence of English. Speaking anything other than English is looked upon with scorn.
Ironically, although downtrodden and poor, the remaining working-class communities in Gassasinia turn out to be a final vestige of true family life and community. It is suggested that although economically privileged, the upper Educated caste are just as unfulfilled and unhappy, if not even more so than the working class, with their lives.
Plot
Characters
- Bruce Kafrouny: A disabled junior programmer from a working-class background. Bruce was born with an unspecific condition which lead to him exhibiting a severe speech impediment and physical disability which makes it difficult for him to move his body. Said disability mixed with his working-class background lead to Bruce being looked down upon with scorn, although he is mostly able-minded and capable of functioning semi-independently with proper assistance.
- Hassan Abdullah: A senior manager who has grown disenchanted with corporate life. He dreams of moving out into the country-side where he can live in peace without having to deal with shallow peers or busy corporate life. Upon learning of Bruce's plight, he plans to bring him with him to the country-side where they can
- Mr. Tannous: Bruce's boss, a young corporate prodigy who puts on a progressive and virtuous exterior, but is hinted to be a shallow Social Darwinist. He eventually fires Bruce after he discovers the cost of Bruce's health insurance due to his disability.
- Marie Karam: The daughter of a rich executive whom Bruce crushes upon from a distance until he tries to ask her out on a date. When Bruce approaches her to ask her out on a date, Marie heartlessly rebukes Bruce, calling him a "backwards degenerate" because of his working class background and disability. Throughout the story, Marie slowly becomes more disenchanted with the shallow nature of corporate life but when she tries to get in on Bruce's and Hassan's farm, Bruce rejects her.
- Charlie Kafrouny: Bruce's uncle, a farmer who invites him and Hassan back to Bruce's childhood hometown. Although Bruce is a member of the lower "uneducated" caste, he is shown to be much happier than Bruce's upper "educated" caste brothers as he has a strong community and family behind him.
- Edward and Ben Kafrouny: Bruce's two brothers who moved away after their mother died to pursue a corporate career. Neither have time to look after Bruce due to their busy lives. It is suggested that despite their career successes, both brothers are deeply unhappy and Edward is a regular user of narcotics.
- George and Nassim: Bruce's co-workers. George is openly rude and dismissive towards Bruce, whereas Nassim acts politely in-person but talks rudely of him behind his back.
- Bruce's Mother: Bruce's unnamed mother, who cared deeply for him as a child and helped to support him even into his young adult years. Bruce lived with her until she died when he was 23 years old.