Mania

March 11, 2024
Shriver (The Mandibles) suffuses this cogent tale of a toxic friendship with contrarian political commentary. The story begins in an alternative version of 2011, as the misguided Mental Parity movement takes over the U.S. Its adherents seek to eliminate distinctions between the “cerebral elite—academics, doctors and lawyers, scientists” and the hoi polloi. Words like stupid are verboten; variations in people’s intelligence are explained by “processing issues.” Shriver’s protagonist, Pearson Converse, is highly skeptical of the Mental Parity line. Not only does she teach in Voltaire University’s English department, she also chose the sperm donor for her two elder children based on his high IQ (she’s “bored” by her youngest, age six, who was conceived naturally). Meanwhile, her best friend, the sleek, confident Emory Ruth, appears to be riding the “craze of intellectual egalitarianism” to advance her television career, even as the constitutionally defiant Pearson finds herself in increasingly precarious positions as the movement grows more sinister in reach. Shriver devotes a bit more time than necessary to explaining the nuances of the Mental Parity movement; the novel’s best parts concern the prickly, sinuous relationship between Pearson and Emory. Those sympathetic toward Shriver’s anti-groupthink message will find much to enjoy.