Bright
How Empathy must be a really difficult to write about
Over the last few days, around work and snow and anxiety and the overwhelming feeling that feelings that I don’t really want are kicking in again, I have been listening to the book “The Infinite Noise” by Lauren Shippen. It is a sister book to “The Bright Sessions”, a podcast fiction series which follows the therapy sessions of Dr Joan Bright as she provides a listening and experienced ear for those just coming into their superpowers, as they realise that they are Atypicals. From time travel to bending people to their will, the representation of people with unusual abilities is presented in a way that shows that having special skills is not always a blessing. As they describe it, it’s X-men with feelings. As always, spoilers.
“The Infinite Noise” is half X-men, half queer teen angst drama, as 16-year-old Caleb discovers he can feel other peoples feelings when he gets into trouble at school for decking a bully. He discovers that his feelings mesh with classmate Adam’s in a way that doesn’t happen with other people, and anyone with half a brain can see where that ends up going. Adam, it transpires, has more typical teenage problems, as Caleb is forced to find a language to describe the waves of overbearing incomprehensible sadness emanating from his friend.
Whatever happens, we have to agree, neither of us will be the normal one
Adam to Caleb, ‘The Infinite Noise’ by Lauren Shippen
The book is told from a dual perspective. The sessions with Dr Bright are largely already covered in the podcast, we’ve already seen them and aren’t much different told directly from Caleb’s perspective. Almost every other chapter is told by Adam (and in the audiobook has a different narrator). We see how he is completely perplexed by how Caleb can read exactly how he is feeling, is made uncomfortable by it but also made to be entirely at ease. When told about Caleb’s power, he “wigs out” for a bit, and feels the imbalance of power. The way that the powers are presented is a clear metaphor for more real-world atypicality - autism, depression, general and social anxiety, and being LGBT.
This metaphor is not exactly subtle, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The podcast shows that the apparently calm and stable Dr Bright is only human, with a secret that doesn’t get explored in the book. This is a world with humans that make daft but understandable decisions, as opposed to just being infuriating for the sake of plot. The way in which Caleb’s empathy is described, where people have colours to their emotions that he can see but also physical reactions, is rooted firmly in a real-world understanding of psychology. Indeed, the podcast had a consulting psychotherapist. As Caleb learns to describe his power to Dr Bright, the reader is introduced to the language through which he internally experiences the emotions of others.
This is one of those books which meshes well with my brain in a way that is not altogether healthy. I have been guilty in the past of exacerbating my own mental state by seeking out literature which makes me feel worse about myself by experiencing life vicariously. The indicator for this is when I end up mentally finishing the sentences of characters, or talking at them --- which apart from anything is a little awkward when listening while walking into work.
I can recommend the book, and eagerly await the two other planned books in the series. I just need to be careful to not get lost, unable to discern my own emotions from those being described to me. We can all learn something from the message that being different is okay, so long as you accept that everyone is different in their own way.