Diary of an Autodidact: Authority by Jeff Vandermeer

Source of book: Borrowed from the library

One of the first books I read with my current book club was Annihilation, the first of the “Southern Reach” trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer. It was, to put it mildly, a puzzling and frustrating book. But also oddly compelling. The problem was, of course, that it is a trilogy, and reading one book is hardly the best way to understand the whole work. I intended to continue the series, but got busy with other stuff, and never returned to it. I felt like a weird, shorter read, and ordered the next book from the library.

Authority feels very different from Annihilation in many ways, but it still is a frustrating read, because, although we finally find out some answers to questions in the first book, we still lack a LOT of information - well, so does humanity, so...I guess we are in the same boat.

The second book picks up soon after the events of the first book. This time, however, the setting is the “normal” world, outside Area X. John “Control” Rodriguez (hey, names this time!) is a failed CIA (called “Central” in the book) agent from a family of brilliant and successful spooks, who is sent to the Southern Reach - the agency that manages Area X and has sent the various expeditions into it - to reform and fix it, as it seems to be failing. Control realizes soon after he arrives that he has not been given anywhere near the necessary information to do his job, the assistant director is furious that she didn’t get the job, and his mysterious boss at the CIA seems increasingly unhinged and alienated from the rest of the agency. This is obviously not the best work environment, to say the least.

It becomes clear very early on that everyone is withholding information. Nobody is being honest, although at least the facts aren’t as murky as in the first book, where it is pretty nearly impossible to figure out what the hell is going on.

A few things are cleared up. First, as the pile of journals at the lighthouse hinted, there were indeed far more than the twelve “official” expeditions. Many more. And generally, they did not end well. There is video from the first one, where a single survivor managed to escape, and then ended up in conflict with the director of the Southern Reach. Oh, and that director? That would be the woman known in the first book as “the psychologist.” And how she ended up on the expedition, who she was, and all that is one of the major mysteries that Control has to figure out as best he can.

We do find out that three of the four members of the expedition featured in the first book (officially the 12th Expedition), have, after a fashion, returned. Like the Biologist’s husband, two of them are not right. It is as if they are replicas of the humans sent in to Area X, but without the presence that makes them human. The book doesn’t tell us if they get cancer and die like the zombies returned in the previous book.

There is an exception, though. The Biologist is found in a vacant lot, and seems to have something different about her. While she gives the same lines about no memory and stuff, she seems to have memories she refuses to disclose. Even weirder, she insists that she is not the Biologist, but calls herself “Ghost Bird.” I won’t spoil it, but we get an idea of why she says this at the end of the book. The book, by the way, ends with a pretty good cliffhanger, with Ghost Bird and Control apparently traveling to Area X. I shall definitely have to read the last book.

One of my complaints about the last book was that it was short, yet cost as much as a full length book. That complaint does not apply to this one, which is twice as long. So, I guess maybe it would have been difficult to have made them all into one book. Still seems like a money churn, though. But I read 800 page Victorian novels, so I might be biased.

It is certainly true that this book is a compelling page turner. Particularly after reading the first book (which you must do or this one makes no sense.) I am beginning to doubt that we will ever know if Area X is some sort of alien invasion, a mutation, or simply Gaia reclaiming Earth from humans. It doesn’t become clearer in this book, even though we learn a lot more about the humans in this drama. We also get a few names, but they are rarely used, so people are again reduced to their roles. In the case of Control, this makes sense, because he has little life outside his job - something true of many of the characters. The general feeling that information - indeed truth - is impossible to come by remains from the earlier book. It is frustrating to read for that reason, but also compelling. Every reveal is a treasure, and also a twist of the knife.

For the most part, like the previous book, I didn’t write stuff down, but just immersed myself in the world Vandermeer creates. There is one exception, and that is a line from Control’s father. He is the polar opposite of Control’s hyper controlling and competent mother. He is an artist (although he has died by the time of the book’s setting), and better embraced the idea of chaos than she ever did.

“We live in a universe driven by chance,” his father had said once, “but the bullshit artists all want causality.”

In some ways, this is emblematic of the world of the book - and the world we live in. At my age, I am realizing that anyone who promises otherwise is selling something. While I do not believe in an entirely random universe - and I believe in human free will - I also believe that most things are best understood as “shit happens.” A spouse dying of cancer isn’t divine retribution, part of some greater good, or (usually, at least) the result of human factors. It is random chance, a bad roll of the dice.

For the Southern Reach, one of their recurring mistakes seems to be to try to understand - and therefore control - Area X, which has led to recurring catastrophe. Control keeps trying to gain, well, control both at the Southern Reach and in his work interrogating Ghost Bird. All he gains is defeat and pain.

Likewise, in our own world, the bullshit artists sell the idea that pain and suffering comes from “those people.” It’s a convenient causality, but also a false - and hateful one.

I am really curious to see where Vandermeer goes with this, and if we ever do discover the truth about any of this. Perhaps Control and Ghost Bird (and everyone else) will have to evolve and adapt to survive. Or maybe there isn’t a future. It is hard to tell at this point, but clearly status quo isn’t going to be possible.

I have intentionally mentioned only a few of the answers - and questions - this book provides. Like the first book, it is best experienced by immersion rather than analysis. Vandermeer’s writing is good without being noticeable: it serves the story and creates the world without distracting the reader, which is perfect for this kind of a story. The labyrinth doesn’t need wallpaper. Definitely read these in order, and let go and enjoy the ride.

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For those who are curious what other stuff I have read with our book club, here is the list. Most of these I read along with the others, but a few are ones I went back later and read based on recommendations.

Ghost Story by Peter Straub

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie Dao

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

Bad News by Edward St. Aubyn

Circe by Madeline Miller

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Calypso by David Sedaris

The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles