Dissolution begins with a cryptic scene: Margaret Webb is detained in a pool-like structure, hooked to an IV, experiencing an interrogation conducted by a mysterious, persistent man named Hassan. She is informed that “dissolution” will take place in eleven hours, and is pressed to give a detailed recounting regarding her husband, Stanley. Margaret describes her life of the past ten years, visiting Stanley in his nursing home, taking care of him as he loses his memories, his intermittent recognition of his wife, and where he is. It is heartbreaking, after forty years of a wonderful marriage, and raising their beloved daughter, Leah. We are wondering what is Hassan pressuring Margaret to reveal?

These scenes are alternated with flashbacks from Stanley’s experiences at Whelton College, a posh prep school for wealthy boys, which Stan was able to test into with full scholarship. Stan comes from a poor background, with an alcoholic, physically abusive father. Stan feels out of place and undeserving here, until stumbling into a meeting with Prof Waldman, an eccentric teacher who conducts a weekly after-school session, teaching a select group of students to use their memories to learn much more than the required curriculum. Stanley meets fellow students Jacques and Raph, other gifted, outcast students. Stan’s time here is precious, and he finally feels somewhat worthy.

Through a gradual drip of scant detail, Margaret and the attentive reader will come to learn of Stanley’s secret research work, first with Waldman, then later funded by Raph. We learn of the memory spade, a device that enables a subject to time travel, going back to their memories, or someone’s they are very familiar with. Hassan has advanced this method, and Margaret relates her observations of repeated trips into Stan’s memories, guided by Hassan. Hassan is trying to uncover what Stan learned about a natural phenomenon he calls Omega. Margaret has observed this force, which “eats” memories and identities, annihilating personhood. Stan learns the nature of Omega, after years of worldwide research into prehistoric cultures, about a long forgotten epoch of human history. He feels the force is natural, but potentially catastrophically destructive if used by someone attempting to rule all the world. Margaret and Stanley must not give Hassan the knowledge he craves, are caught in Hassan’s trap, and find a clever way to subvert his ambitions.

Binge is attracted to telling tales of fantastical, natural forces, uncovered by intrepid scientists and explorers, and what they help us learn about our place in the universe, flipping what we thought we knew. Like his previous book, Ascension, we don’t quite know what we are observing, as details are slowly revealed, tension and pacing quicken, and the stakes are on a global scale. Our comfortable, familiar world is not at all what we presumed it to be.

I appreciate Binge’s ability to mashup science fiction, suspense, and a touch of fantastic realism to deliver a page turning novel. We don’t get too many sci fi suspense books that have a woman in her eighties as protagonist, a welcome diversion from genre convention. I highly recommend this fast-moving, nimble story.