Naked Singularity

Summary

When Hali’s father asks her to help him end his life to avoid the misery of a long illness, she reluctantly agrees. While family and friends in the Bible Belt insist on letting “God’s will” decide such matters, Hali broods upon the idea of fate. Ultimately, she is unable to do what her father wishes, and she is forced to accept the help of a manipulative male night nurse, adding further complications that result in a slow and painful end.

Reviews for the 2003 hardcover edition:

“Best of 2003” –Dallas Observer

“A painful tale about euthanasia. The emotions are raw at times, but there’s a cool tone of postmodern post-mortem throughout as well, raising hackles and sympathy from first to last.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Alexander takes on a gut-wrenching topic and writes eloquently about the family’s daily emotional pain, leading up to a lurid, macabre ending.” –Publishers Weekly

“At once deeply intellectual and extremely sensual.” –Ethical Culture Review

“Beautifully written.” –Clay Reynolds,Texas Books in Review

“Alexander takes the reader down an intriguing road loaded with questions and choices, none of them easy…. Naked Singularity is sad, touching and heartfelt, a taut story about love and living.” –Curled up with a Good Book Review

“Woven into Naked Singularity‘s metaphors and narrative is a profound understanding of chaos and complexity. It renders esoteric constructs concrete, and in a setting none of us can escape.” –J. P. Crutchfield, co-author of “Chaos,” Scientific American.