"...fear of an ephemeral 'enemy' forced people to commit atrocities against unsuspecting innocents, and the rights of the unsuspecting few were considered ancillary to the purported greater good..."
Half World is the second novel by Scott O'Connor. It's the story of Henry March, a burnt out CIA analyst, turned rogue torturer & pseudo-pharmacologist. Or perhaps it's the fictionalized tale of secret CIA mind control experiments, conducted throughout the fifties and sixties, known MKUltra.
Henry's journey into the underworld is perhaps best understood as a sort of parallel narrative to societies own 'progress' and increasing reliance on soporifics; I mean Dick Ashbie, our hero for the second half of the novel is hooked on the exact same drugs Henry pioneered in the fight against the 'red scare'.
Through both Henry and Dick we are privy to the destructive force of secrets and fear. Both men are compelled to face an external threat they never truly understand and do so at the personal cost of all they hold dear. The notion of duty and honour may figure in a more patriotic review but I can;t help but focus on the classical tragedy of both men's need to serve.
Half World is easy to read as a work of fiction, harder perhaps to countenance as a piece of speculative history. Do we need to believe that a version of this story actually happened to make it compelling?
It's enough to know that fear of an ephemeral 'enemy' forced people to commit atrocities against unsuspecting innocents. That the rights of the unsuspecting few were considered ancillary to the purported 'greater good'. That at some point the horrifying effects these drugs can have on human was discovered and we still embraced them. Anyone else feel it's a lesson worth revisiting?!
The narrative is strong and told in a style reminiscent of Don DeLillio with lashings of almost Kilgore Trout-esque surreal moments as the plot teeters while Dick finds his benzo legs.
Half World relies on your ability to fathom that the unbelievable happens. It is convenient, perhaps too-much so in some of it's encounters but by then you are already immersed and you're on a gripping ride that resonates with our own progressively more fucked-up world...
For the past twelve months I have been a producer and presenter on 'Final Draft', 2SER 107.3FM's flagship literature program. Between the Covers is my attempt to share some of this wonderful world of books and writing...
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