Title: Bellwether
Author: Connie Willis
Genre: Science Fiction
Bellwether is an examination of human behavior; specifically, where trends come from and how fads and memes disperse through the population to the point where most of us aren’t even aware of them. We just follow along because that’s what’s available. It opens with a researcher trying to discover the origin of the hair-bobbing trend of the 1920s being constantly thwarted by the annoying administrative assistant in the research facility she works in. Seemingly unconnected events continue to increase the level of disorganization both inside and outside the lab, and the assistant’s annoying behavior starts to replicate itself all across the city, in a viral fashion. As the story unfolds, the scientist is working her way back to the “patient zero”, although she doesn’t recognize it.
I’ve always liked Connie Willis’s work, and Bellwether is the perfect example of why. She weaves together characters who are so weird that they’re totally believable with folklore, sociology, chaos theory, and acerbicly humorous commentary that reminds me of what the very best comedies could be like if they didn’t have to stick to formulaic scripts. In fact, I have no trouble envisioning Bellwether as a film—the most difficult special effect to pull off would involve a getting a flock of sheep into position (harder than itsounds, given the obstinate stupidity of sheep). I also like the fact that the portrayal of the scientist characters’ work lives primarily involves wading through data and worrying about funding while defending themselves against a constant onslaught of management trends. Unlike a lot of science fiction, which requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, Willis’s work seem to pull together a completely plausible collection of disparate threads that reveal something that, in hindsight, is as obvious as the sticky note or velcro.