Customer Reviews

Gray Matter

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
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"Gray Matter" is first and foremost a thriller with a capitol "T." It is 400 pages, so arrange your schedule accordingly. Allow yourself an hour or so to eat and sleep; nothing else will distract you from this biotech/medical thriller.

In this day and age of funneling affluent children from birth into the "right" preschool, prep school and college; is it unthinkable to want to "enhance" Johnny's all-to-average I.Q.? I find this most believable when we have platoons of small children robotically marching from ballet to play dates (a term I particularly despise) to tutorial groups to soccer practice. Many need an appointment secretary just to march in place.

The Whitmans are an upwardly mobile dream couple, wealthy, handsome and living in one of Boston's most desirable suburbs. The only cloud on their horizon is son Dylan's Learning Disability. Dylan is a happy six-year old with a wonderful ability to sing and memorize show tunes (with gestures). He is an outgoing, gentle, loving little boy, but let's face it, an I.Q. of 83. He is behind other children in his cognitive abilities and grasp of abstract concepts. His days of the week are Monday, Twosday, Threesday, etc.

The Whitmans are distressed and want the best for their son. By clandestine word of mouth, they hear of the possible "enhancement" of mental abilities, even doubling of I.Q.s from a friend who has an irritatingly bright daughter. Meanwhile in a parallel story an obsessed cop has been searching for three years for the identity of a dead child. All he has to go on is a skull with a series of small drilled holes in it. We meet a few of these "enhanced" children, and they are as advertised: brilliant. But all seem to suffer side effects of loss of affect or compulsive behavior. As the Whitmans get closer to accepting the expensive procedure, the more sinister the situation becomes. The parents become divided on what is best to do. Some of the other parents are in heartbreaking situations.

Mr. Braver is skillful in his plotting, notching up the tension incrementally. He has a graceful way of bringing his characters to life. Dylan is a truly fetching little boy and becomes compellingly important to the reader. This novel delivers and will make you think. Be prepared to count off at least a few people you know right in your own backyard that might see "enhancement" as a very good thing indeed.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

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.

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.

I read many mysteries and thrillers, but GRAY MATTER is one of the best I've read in years.

First, it's an original and clever story line that centers on the matter of children's intelligence, posing the controversial question, "Just how far would you go to significantly increase your child's IQ." Second, the book is masterfully written--a rarity for "thrillers". The language is fresh, precise, even lyrical in places. Yet the narrative thrust keeps you turning the pages. Third, and more importantly, unlike many mysteries and thrillers, GRAY MATTER resonates with philosophical, social, ethical, and moral issues that concern readers. And, yet, these issues are woven into an wildly imaginative story line so that you never feel that you're being preached to. On the contrary, you're pressed into questioning your own thoughts and feelings long after you've finished the book.

The story centers on a woman, Rachel Whitman, who appears to have everything going for her--health, youth, a successful marriage, money and a beautiful and charming six-year-old son, Dylan. But the boy has learning disabilities, and the mother learns that she is to blame. Other kids are beginning to make fun of him. And the Whitmans live in an upscale community where the rewards for intelligence are conspicuous. Ripped apart with guilt and anguish for her son, Rachel hears through the grapevine about a new expensive medical procedure that claims to turn slow kids into geniuses, and she's tempted. But at what cost? Meanwhile, a police detective from Cape Cod, MA is obsessed with the cold case of a missing child. Their stories cross and propel the novel to an explosive conclusion. I won't give anything else away. But if you're a parent, you should read this book since it will make you re-examine your notion of intelligence and what is most important to you regarding your children. Even if you don't have kids, read this book just to see just how well written a thriller can be.

The author has written a medical thriller that will have the reader glued to the pages of the book until the very last. It is a well written, suspenseful novel that heralds a novelist whose prose is spare, lean, and taut, moving the story along at a brisk pace. Fans of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook will, undoubtedly, enjoy this well paced thriller, as will anyone who appreciates a great story.

The story line is fairly simple. A well-educated, intelligent, and affluent couple, Rachel and Martin Whitman, have a six year old son named Dylan. He is a sweet and beautiful, good-natured child with a penchant for singing show tunes. He can sing amazingly well and is simply adorable. Unfortunately, he has a below average intelligence quotient, as well as a learning disability that makes academic pursuits a trial for him. His parents' dream of a bright future for Dylan seems remote, given his limitations.

Suddenly, however, they are given hope, when a friend of Rachel's suggests that she see a Dr. Malenko, a neurologist who may be able to help with Dylan's problem through an experimental, surgical enhancement, which appears to be done clandestinely. It is a risky business, but Dylan's parents seem willing to do almost anything to ensure that their son will be able to be all that they would like him to be. Or are they? The ultimate cost may be more than that for which they bargained.

Running parallel to this story line is another one involving a Detective who is investigating a series of puzzling homicides involving children with unusual markings on their skulls. His is a quest that will intersect with the Whitmans' dream in a head on collision, making for a pulse pounding grand finale. The climactic surprise ending will leave the reader open-mouthed.

This novel is multi-layered and complex, providing an engrossing and absorbing read while proffering a whole host of ethical and public policy dilemmas for consideration. This outstanding thriller provides much food for thought buried between its lines. It is a book that demands to be read and one that will have the reader riveted to its pages until the very last one is turned. Bravo!

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.

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.

Gary Braver is an excellent writer (He needs a well-informed fan to update his Wikipedia entry though). I approach this review of "Gray Matter" from the viewpoint of a writer and an adult science fiction reader.

From a writer's viewpoint, Braver has a masterful command of Point-of-View. He uses several POV characters and rotates the POV with nearly every chapter, keeping things moving in that sense. He has moments of humor, wit and uses imagery and metaphor brilliantly. Braver handles theme very well too. It's interwoven throughout the book: Beware of making intelligence your God. But, the plotting I found slow (slow for SF anyway). I kept saying to myself, "get on with it, already". The weakest aspect of the book is that nearly 50% of the book, some 200 pages, is the setup and then the parents of a slow-witted 6-year old -- mostly the mother -- deliberating endlessly on whether she should consent to having her son undertake a cutting-edge brain surgery procedure that will boost her son's I.Q. This repetitive, grueling deliberation of whether she should or shouldn't made me want to throw the book across the room. I purchased this for a weekend read at the beach and got increasingly irritated with my choice (Don't 'cha hate when that happens?)

SF readers beware. The publisher is Tor, but don't be deceived. This is not SF. This is more like Lincoln Child's work: mainstream/suspense fiction with a single (and in this case, thin) science fiction idea at its core. I believe "Gray Matter" has such a high rating here due to the fact that most readers are likely mainstream readers who found the SF idea intriguing (Or perhaps many of his loyal students are here posting reviews). But SF readers expect much more: more ideas, faster pace, more depth. And in my opinion, that just wasn't here.

The opposite extreme of writing SF ideas is Charles Stross. "Accelerando" for instance has 1 or 2 cool, futuristic ideas per page! "Gray Matter" only has one in the entire book: what if you could boost IQ dramatically with a risky surgical procedure? And even that 'what if' -- as interesting as it seems -- was not explored here in a very satisfying way.

I'd recommend Lincoln Child's novels over this. "Deep Storm" has a single idea, but it's huge and well developed and dramatically presented. It's not 200 pages of setup and fretting about a decision, as was "Gray Matter".

Being a neurosurgeon I am not one to read medical thrillers, but Gray Matter was given to me by a friend after a high endorsement. Somewhat skeptically I began the prolog. Not only was I struck by Braver's excellent craft, but I was hooked by the end of the first five pages. The thing I dislike about many of this genre is they seem contrived. Not so with Gray Matter. This was a fast, engrossing read that held my interest from beginning to end. The characters were believable, the plot plausible, and the ethical issues timely. Still not a fan of this genre, I am now a fan of Braver. I recommend this for anyone regardless of their preferences in fiction.

In an age when biotechnology seems to be on the verge of offering prospective parents every possible option, Gary Braver (pen name for Northeastern University English Professor Gary Goshgarian) has written a novel about the aftermath of choice. Like its predecessor, ELIXIR, GRAY MATTER treads on ground fraught with ethical dilemma in the face of overwhelming temptation.

Rachel Whitman and her husband live in a tony suburb of Boston. Thanks to Mr. Whitman's success and business acumen, they appear to have it all, including a beautiful little boy named Dylan who sings like an angel. Living in a town where the expression "keeping up with the Joneses" was born, Rachel wants the best for her family. Affluence can often breed a sense of entitlement, and GRAY MATTER more than subtly touches on this cause and effect. Daily, she sees her son, who has slight learning disabilities, struggling with the smallest of tasks in comparison to the genius children he is surrounded by in his exclusive computer science camp and private school. Plagued by decisions she made as a youth to experiment with a popular sex drug, she fears that she is the cause of her son's inferior capabilities and, like any parent who would do all for a child, she seeks alternatives to improve his brain power.

A kindly neighbor --- and mother of a genius child --- hints at a procedure that could help slow, innocent Dylan, and Rachel becomes hooked on learning more. She and her husband embroil themselves in a quest to find out about the "enhancement" that can double their child's IQ for a small fortune. There's something troubling --- mysterious --- about the good doctor who professes to have the miracle key to unlock Dylan's potential, and something equally troubling about the legions of brainiacs he has created, but Rachel can't quite put her finger on it. When detective Greg Zakarian, obsessed with the past murder of a young boy, starts to investigate the recent disappearances of several bright but poor children, the town's secret unfolds quickly and with gruesome, unimaginable consequences.

GRAY MATTER trespasses into the frightening arena of possibility, made all the more frightening by the element of realism brought to the story by Braver's expert research and use of blood-curdling medical details. We live in a world of ever-increasingly complex and tempting options. Cloning, stem cell research, the human genome project --- these and other scientific breakthroughs open up a whole new world of possibilities, controversial possibilities that were once solely the realm of science fiction. Braver takes a fictional look at the dark side of scientific advancement and asks if the tremendous cost is truly worth the coveted prize for merely a select few. Along the way, Braver gives us a thrilling story equal to the best work of Michael Crichton or Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs.

--- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara for Bookreporter.com