Monday, May 12, 2008 8:04 PM CDT
REVIEW: 'Interface' By Neal Stephenson and J. Frederick George
Review by Juanita Sherwood
Neal Stephenson and J. Frederick George’s book “Interface” was first published in 1994, but deserves a look from East Central Illinois readers in this election year because of the setting: Tuscola.
The fictional central character, William Anthony Cozzano, is the governor of Illinois when the story opens. His great-grandfather had immigrated to Illinois from Genoa in 1879. Subsequent generations had worked hard at a variety of occupations and enterprises in the East Central Illinois area.
John Cozzano, William’s father, was especially successful, having shrewdness, timing and luck on his side in developing a company called Corn Belt Agricultural Processors, a corn syrup production facility, which greatly added to the family’s wealth.
When we first meet Cozzano, the State of the Union address is being given on television, and he is in his office working when he suffers a stroke that creates a need for cutting-edge medical treatment. Damage done by the stroke is frustrating to the governor himself, his family and his friends.
Care is given to keeping the governor’s medical issues a secret from the public, but treatment eventually leads to Cozzano’s receiving an experimental new procedure. Unbeknownst to those who are concerned about the health of the governor, certain people plot not only to use the situation to treat Cozzano successfully, but also to “fix” him so that he is vulnerable to being manipulated by those who wish to control him.
Since very few people outside of the governor’s tight circle of friends and relatives know about his medical situation, those who plot to control him are thrilled with the opportunity. Cozzano eventually goes on to be a presidential candidate, and then is elected president. It is interesting to see how Tuscola and the surrounding area are woven into the story as the candidate visits or seeks rest and reflection in the area.
The president is from somewhere, right? When that somewhere is nearby, even though a fictional situation, how the authors work that into the story and how accurate it is, or not, makes for good reading.
For those who enjoy intense drama and suspense in a thriller, that is available in this book. Additionally, there is a medical fiction element to the story that might appeal to those who like such.
Technologically, the book may be slightly outdated in minor ways, such as the prime kind of television being used, but that does not take away from the enjoyment of the plot nor the local setting. It is fun mentally to follow the places being mentioned in and around Tuscola as they appear in the book.
Stephenson and J. Frederick George also have another book set in Iowa called “The Cobweb” at a fictional university called Eastern Iowa University, another EIU. This one is about “medical research” on campus that isn’t just what it seems and is also a good thriller.
Originally, these two books were published under the pseudonym of Stephen Bury. More recent copies use the authors’ names: Neal Stephenson and J. Frederick George. If you want to get copies from the local library system, you might need to use the Bury reference. Web sites such as Amazon.com and eBay, and bookstores offer the books under the Stephenson and George authorship.
Sherwood of Charleston is a retired reading teacher.
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