Daniel Keyes (1927–2014)

Book red November 2019 review written January 2020 in a journal and transcribed to LT March 2026

A thought provoking story about thought. The somewhat depressing tail of Charlie Gordon, and idiot who undergoes brain surgery to increase his intelligence after successful testing / piloting of the procedure on a lab rat named Algernon. Charlie narrates his own journey through a series of journal entries, beginning in his simplistic state and evolving into complex and insightful prose as his IQ show more steadily rises. The story itself is quite sad and its examination of intelligence and its perception in society. Charlie is an outcast when simple and an outcast when aerodyte; met often with hostility on both ends from internal and external sources.

This book lends credence to the idea that intelligence is a curse and ignorance is indeed bliss. For despite Charlie's victimhood from coworkers and a disapproving family when his intelligence was lesser, he was happy. He believed himself in on the jokes rather than their target. He had faith in his friends despite their insensitive cruelty. As he gains mental momentum he develops a distrust of people and skepticism of their intentions, eventually progressing to contempt for both those who once tormented to simplicity and those for whom he now considered of inferior intellect. Upon surpassing the intelligence of the scientist who developed the procedure that transformed him, he becomes disillusioned and even considers them fraudulent to some degree as they lack the linguistic skills to keep up with untranslated developments in their research field in real time as he is now able to. Disillusionment progresses and there is a melancholic tone to the writing as Charlie is continually disappointed by the inability of others to match his new standards.

This idea has been commonly touched upon and is a popular thought amongst those who are (or consider themselves to be) more intelligent than average. Suicide rates are higher among those with higher levels of measured intelligence, as if the stronger ones awareness of reality, the more it is rejected. Exceeding the norm leads to disappointment and subsequent social isolation.

Charlie is further cursed in his intelligence with the knowledge of his fate-- procedure outcomes are impermanent and ultimately fatal. After a peak and subsequent exploration of the human condition from the heighth of intelligence, the decline begins. Charlie is unfortunately now smart enough to be self-aware. He knows that he is declining but he is powerless to fight against it and retain his mental faculties. The parallels between this struggle and of the real-life struggle of individuals with dementia I found particularly heartbreaking as I have seen these struggles play out in real life.

Charlie delivers flowers to the grave of Algernon, the lab rat that was discarded after fulfilling its use and whose fate foretells his own.

Additional thoughts written years later: I hadn't realized that one of the episodes of Rugrats that I loved as a kid was based on this but I strongly suspect that it was. I still find this book particularly heartbreaking, and I have not been able to return to it since my initial read having lost my grandfather to dementia mere weeks after writing my initial review and subsequently entering a social isolation of a different sort (2020) show less

I have been lucky enough to read a succession of great books recently but this tops the lot. Daniel Keyes’ humble story embodies why I read: for the transcendent feelings you get when a great story unfolds, leading you to consider a new part of life - or a bit you knew about already but were unaware as to how complex and rich in experience it was. Flowers for Algernon made me feel that. It taught me about ignorance and knowledge, about what intelligence may or may not be, about what it is show more to be able to make your own choices and what it is to be a slave to experiences and trauma. I found myself exploring and deliberating over how cognisant and ‘awake’ I’d prefer to be as well as contemplating the passing of time, memory and death. For a relatively simplistic story (in essence a man of considerably low intelligence is given an operation that turns him into a genius) this is expertly crafted and rockets into my top 10 and is a sure fire 5/5. show less

Algernon is a mouse…but this isn’t really his story. It is Charlie Gordon’s.

I had heard of Flowers for Algernon. I had no idea of the characters or the plot. I did know that it was a Nebula Award winning novel and that meant science fiction. The book was bought for my birthday as a surprise; it was essentially a ‘lucky dip’ from Topping Bookshop in Bath.

Daniel Keyes’ book has one of those premises which is both simple-it’s amazing that nobody thought of it before-and yet so show more profound you could write entire theses about it from many different perspectives.

Charlie is a man with an IQ of 68 working as a cleaner in a New York bakery. He has a pleasant nature and is ‘simple’, he likes to make people laugh. Unfortunately he is often unaware that the laughter is aimed at him because of the mockery of those around him.

Charlie wants, above anything else, to be smart. He attends classes taught by Alice Kinnian where he has struggled to learn to read and write.
Two scientists at Beacon university, Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur are developing an experimental procedure to increase people’s intelligence, Alice suggests Charlie might be their first human subject due to his overwhelming desire to learn.

The technique has already been tried on a mouse named Algernon, and has been successful.

Following the procedure, like Algernon, Charlie’s intelligence begins to increase. As Charlie wrestles with his rising brain power, he soon starts to realise that being “smart” is not all he hoped it would be.

A side effect of the improvements is the increasing recall of memories from an abusive childhood. He also becomes aware of how others around him treat him, and what’s more, finds himself confronted with feelings for Alice he’s not emotionally prepared to deal with. His intellectual growth has outstripped the rate of his emotional growth. To a degree he has become two people: the exceptional and the emotionally immature in the same mind. Charlie has insight into this but is unable to reconcile these. These two personalities lead to internal conflict and profound anxiety attacks.

Eventually, as Charlie’s intellect approaches genius status he begins to realise a far more terrible truth…Algernon begins to demonstrate signs of regression. In his genius state Charlie works out that his increase in intelligence is only temporary and that eventually both he, and Algernon are doomed to regress back to where they came from.

The book is told in first person through Charlie’s Progress reports. As the book begins with Charlie’s naively simple perspective; including misspellings and misconceptions, it takes a few pages to get your bearings.

The whole story has an element of tragedy akin to Frankenstein or the Invisible Man and many other stories of interference with nature. Good intentions going awry. It always ends in tears…

The book’s ending is simply tragic.

It’s a well written, well paced story with a lot to think about. It also has a sign of its times that dates it a little, but not so much as to be a detriment to the narrative or the themes.

An enjoyable, sometimes amusing, sometimes sad, and thought provoking read. show less

This is an incredibly beautiful story. I wouldn't go so far as to label it "required reading" and at this point the novel does show its age in several ways, but I would still describe it as a meaningfully heart-wrenching tale. For me this is about the staggering power and importance of respect and love over the course of a person's life, although I could see how other readers might find a different main message here. The extent to which I identified with Charlie Gordon somehow left me show more feeling simultaneously affirmed and discomfited. I would only recommend reading this if you're the kind of person who is okay sitting with intense feeling and tears. show less