Blind Faith (novel)
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| Blind Faith | |
| Author | Ben Elton |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Dark comedy, Satire, Dystopian novel |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Publication date | 5 November 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 384 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0593058008 (first edition, hardback) |
Blind Faith is an English dystopian novel by writer and comedian Ben Elton, published in 2007.
[edit] Setting
The story takes place in London, 56 years after the Earth has been flooded owing to global warming.
Society has degenerated into sexual obsession. Everybody lives a life of exposure and privacy is considered perverse, while people show their modesty through, rather paradoxically, public nudity.
Faith in God has become the first statute of the "Wembley Laws".
Privacy has become socially unacceptable, the rationale being that every thought and word said are gifts from God, and to keep them hidden is sacrilege.
By law, with the exception of menial labourers, workers must attend compulsory "Fizzy Coffs" (physical offices), spending at least 25% of their time in an actual workplace and interacting with real people as opposed to working online. This law was developed as a response to the declining social skills of the internet-addicted populace.
[edit] Plot introduction
While making his way through the usual crowd of near naked commuters, Trafford Sewell runs into his rather intimidating Parish Confessor. He questions Sewell on why he hasn't documented every moment of sexual intimacy during his life on the community website. The confessor interprets this lack of exposure as either an example of Sewell's arrogance, or a way of hiding some dark secret. The Confessor is particularly concerned about the fact that Sewell has not yet "tubed" the birthing video for his baby daughter, Caitlin Happymeal.
[edit] Plot
After the flood, many things that we take for granted today are rejected or banned under the Wembley laws. One of these is vaccination. Vaccination is considered to be prevention of God's will and as a result, thousands of children die as a result of measles, mumps, rubella and tetanus. Having already lost a child to childhood disease, Trafford tries to find a way to get Caitlin Happymeal vaccinated. Trafford's wife, Chantorria, is a devout Temple member and is against the idea.
Trafford's "Fizzi Coff" colleague, Cassius, begins to take an interest in Trafford and one day invites him to lunch at an "old-fashioned" falafel restaurant. There he tells Trafford that he is a "Vaccinator" who belongs to the "Humanist" group. This group believes in reason and science, opposing the Temple's message of blind faith. Cassius agrees to secretly vaccinate Caitlin against measles and tetanus, doing so in the obscurity of a cinema.
Trafford and Chantorria are a couple on the brink of separation, a situation not helped by the fact that their building Chatroom Moderator, Barbieheart, is constantly present. Chantorria is ignored by most of her neighbours and longs to have more than just Caitlin Happymeal and Barbieheart for company. Her wish is realised when a measles epidemic comes to London. Hundreds of children die, but Caitlin Happymeal survives. Chantorria is aware of the fact that Catilin Happymeal has been vaccinated, but rather than converting to the belief that science can be beneficial, she sees Caitlin Happymeal's survival as God's will. The Sewells become stars in their parish and Chantorria becomes the centre of attention, which she relishes. She gradually becomes convinced that she is one of God's chosen few and begins to dress in a very similar way to the Virgin Mary.
During this time, Trafford has fallen in love with Sandra Dee, another "Fizzi Coff" colleague. He has been "goog'ing" her and discovers that the videos that she "tubes" are not of her and her blog entries have been lifted wholesale from other people's blogs. This intrigues Trafford as he sees a kindred spirit in her: someone else who values privacy in a world where everything is made public. Trafford introduces Sandra Dee to the books that Cassius has lent him from the Humanists group's library. The relationship between the pair develops and they end up sleeping together.
The Sewells' world is shattered by the death of Caitlin Happymeal due to a cholera epidemic. Unfortunately, Trafford was unable to have her vaccinated against cholera. Chantorria becomes angry at Trafford, telling him that her death is a punishment for his vaccinating their daughter. They are rejected by their community and especially the Temple. Trafford and Chantorria are arrested by the Temple and are tortured while under questioning. The Temple is aware of the fact that Caitlin Happymeal was vaccinated and Trafford is tortured for the names of the Vaccinators. Just as Trafford is about to reveal the names, the Inquisitor tells him that they already knew who they were.
In his cell, Trafford is visited by Sandra Dee, who turns out to be a Temple spy. She tries to convince Trafford to join her in exchange for his freedom. He refuses and he and Chantorria are taken to the stake to be burned as heretics. Trafford has set one last trap for Sandra Dee: an e-mail about the Humanists to be sent to people who Trafford knows to be like-minded. She accesses his e-mail account and inadvertently sends out the e-mail. When being tied to the stake, Trafford notices a girl waving an Ev Love ("evolve" backwards) banner, showing that she received the e-mail. He goes to his death in hope of a better world.
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