I chose to read Blindness on this vacation because Saramago is Portuguese. Web had devoured it a few vacations ago and I had enjoyed Saramago's All the Names, so I had high expectations for the book, and I wasn't disappointed.
The story is about a city where all the occupants inexplicably and suddenly go blind. Though I had read All the Names several years ago, Saramago's style and rhythm were immediately familiar to me (scarce punctuation, no proper nouns) as was the setting (an unnamed city with semi-military bureaucratic government). All the Names was more about the anonymity of individuals in such an environment, while this book shared more of the themes from Lord of the Flies - what happens to society when it is stripped of its typical order and rules?
The story in Blindness follows a small group of citizens as they navigate the new order in the now-blind city. With a few well-written phrases and anecdotes, Saramago completely characterizes the people who we follow in the story, making it irrelevant if we like them or not and more relevant that they are our only window into the story. That was a real contrast to Olive Kittridge where I got really stuck on not liking the characters. I really enjoyed Blindness, finding it very accessible, and surprisingly easy to read given Saramago's fame and accolades.
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