Blog #58 A Ring Of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle Book Review

Book 4 of the Austin Family Chronicles

Publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Publication date 1980

Author Madeleine L’Engle (1918-2007) was the Newbery Medal-winning author of more than 60 books, including A Wrinkle in Time, 1962 by Ariel Books.

Synopsis SPOILER ALERT

Vicky, fifteen, starts the summer with her family on Seven Bay Island, a fictional location situated off the New England coast. Spending summers with their grandfather was routine for the Austin family children, but this summer it is different; her grandfather is in his final days of leukemia. The whole family now gathers to support him. Through her eyes, we see the family struggle.

As Vicky tries to cope with her grandfather’s decline, she is managing the attention from three young men: Zachary, Leo, and Adam. She helps Adam with dolphin research, dates and supports Zachary and Leo, both of whom have suffered recent losses. Each one she cares for, which leaves Vicky in a whirlwind of emotion.

Image 2 Film version of Vicky and and Adam meeting Basil

As Vicky’s grandfather worsens, Adam’s research intensifies. He includes Vicky in encounters with a wild dolphin in the open ocean. Adam takes Vicky into the ocean and introduces her to Basil (the name Adam gave the dolphin), and to her surprise, she can communicate with the animal. Each successive trip intensifies her relationship with what becomes three dolphins- Basil’s family pod, but that is not clear. Usually, it is mother and calve that form a family pod. Adam holds back showing his affection to Vicky because of her age and his own difficult past. Leo, though, clings to Vicky, wanting exclusivity, while Zachary just plain competes.

Tension peaks when Vicky goes to the Emergency Room of the local hospital. She is there to pick up blood for her grandfather (it’s a small town). As his disease progresses the need for tranfusions grows and doing that at the local hospital is a bad experience. While she waits, a mother unexpectedly assigns her the responsibility for the woman’s young daughter so the mother can plead for her daughter’s admittance. Vicky is acquainted with the two from a previous visit. The little girl, who reminds Vicky of her younger brother, has lost consciousness from a seizure and then suffers another seizure in Vicky’s arms and tragically dies. Overwhelmed by the experience, Vicky shuts down emotionally. Meanwhile, Zachary, unable to handle the situation, flees the hospital. Leo helps the family by escorting them back to the ferry. When Vicky reaches out for help, Adam responds to the mental call. Vicky, though, cannot come out of her fugue. As time passes, the family decides to take a chance when nothing in the medical solutions has worked. So Adam and Vicky’s older brother take Vicky to the ocean, hoping that the dolphins will help her.

Critique

This story is gentle and clearly aimed at young readers. I never read A Wrinkle in Time, the most well-known novel by Madeleine L’Engle, though I saw the movie. While this story didn’t stray much, I question why this style of fiction so often leans into sentimental, idealized plots. Heinlein’s youth fiction appeals to me more, since it usually features more realistic adventures, even if set in sci-fi worlds. Sci-fi should take what is and extrapolate from that, which is what Heinlein was good at.

The book’s (Ring of Endless Light) portrayal of dolphins as advanced, gentle creatures troubled me. I resist the common fiction trope that ‘intelligent’ animals or aliens are automatically superior and peaceful. This story echoes that trope by attributing wisdom and near-mystical qualities to dolphins, which I find unconvincing and simplistic. In the real world, like any animal, dolphins have complex behaviors and shouldn’t be idealized as flawless helpers or advanced sages. Though the pod may be close by in this story, experts advise caution when interacting with any of them, let alone a solitary one. “Interacting with wild dolphins can be extremely dangerous, both for humans and the animals themselves.”¹ It is true that a supervised researcher was involved in this project, and of course, it’s fiction; it should be noted- Not to try this on your own. “There are recorded attacks on humans by dolphins, but they are rare, two to 3 a year worldwide.”²

I recall John C. Lilly considered dolphins to be almost as intelligent as humans. “I invite you to entertain some new beliefs about dolphins … [that] these Cetacea with huge brains are more intelligent than any man or woman..”³ Scientific understanding has progressed, though. Breakthroughs in assessing animal intelligence are impressive, but this optimistic assumption about dolphins has become more cautious.

My own experience meeting dolphins supports this more cautious view. Dolphins in captivity often seem indifferent to visitors. I have witnessed this in other animals in our local zoo. They behave differently toward their keepers and trainers, and that was certainly the case with the dolphins’ trainers. It was amazing how quickly things happened as the dolphins went through their routine, including the reluctant young one fighting the commands. This does not, however, provide evidence one way or the other about their intelligence.

A friend’s bond with her horse surprised me with its affection and animation. Science has evolved from considering only humans as intelligent to recognizing other animal’s intelligence. Initially, only great apes were tested, but now more animals are studied for self-recognition, abstract reasoning, language, tool innovation, and cumulative culture. These are all hallmarks of high intelligence and self awareness.

What this means, to me, is that we don’t see evidence of these hallmarks in dolphins. Some of them have been shown, yes, but not a definitive result. We can only state what we see and hopefully make a good, grounded assessment of that evidence. We don’t know yet. As they say, they are not writing sonnets or painting masterpieces. It must be said that our expression of intelligence doesn’t necessarily exist in other species, and how could it? Other species are very different from humans.

Effective communication across species is notoriously difficult. A scene in Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 3, Episode 2) between Counselor Troi and Captain Picard exemplifies this challenge.⁴ Even with higher, self-aware beings, meaningful understanding is never straightforward. If such complexity exists when attempting communication with species who share some biological traits, imagine the obstacles when they do not. We have yet to succeed to a great extent at cross-species communication on Earth. I do have to say some species, though, have shown great enthusiasm to try.

At its core, this book’s purpose was to help young readers grapple with death, which is worthwhile. However, the use of telepathic dolphins as a solution for Vicky’s trauma feels like a convenient fantasy shortcut, undermining the more serious exploration of grief. Instead of a realistic or science-based resolution (meaning techniques that have worked or shown promise), the story shifts to fantasy, which weakens the book’s impact.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the story, though I warn the reader that it sometimes becomes more fanciful than necessary. The Disney adaptation, A Ring of Endless Light, omitted much of the book’s description and scientific research on sea creatures (there wasn’t much, but it was there). While I liked the island setting, the grandfather, and his house, my main critique of the film is that the plot defaults to the familiar trope of humans helping distressed dolphins. This is ironic because, in the novel, it is actually the dolphins who resolve Vicky’s confrontation with death, the main theme of the book.

The movie also portrayed Vicky’s creative writing as a mere hobby, whereas in the book, Vicky’s mother was a singer and her father a physician who encouraged their children’s development in whatever path that took. Vicky’s mother even speaks of her decision to become a ‘housewife’ to raise her children, something Vicky’s mother wished for and felt deeply nourished by. Indeed, the grandfather was an extremely well-educated minister who encouraged Vicky in her poetry and told her it was as intricate and insightful as the hard sciences were for her younger sister, older brother, and father. That the disciplines, in fact, intertwined. Adam echoes this sentiment, encouraging Vicky to continue her pursuits. After all, her sensitivety and imagination was what led to a break in his research.

I prefer the book that addresses the subject of death more thoroughly. The book also shows a family encouraging their children, no matter where they decide to excel. I heard that the novel A Wrinkle in Time had a lot of talk about God, which seemed to be lost in the movies. This also happened in A Ring of Endless Light. This robs us of the undeniable help that can be found in the advent of death.

Most interesting to me was the subject of communication with other species. Yes, I thought it was a cop out, but I tried to show how incredibly difficult the process is. Each species has its own type of brain, along with its own movement patterns and structures (meaning hands or whatever is used and general ability to communicate through the body. Culture, too, is extremely important. Communicating with humans can get mixed up, and has been when we apply our own culture to it. The most dangerous part of this is the human (and I would bet in many other species) propensity to ‘decide’ what something means. If you make that decision and do not keep your eyes and ears open, you could very easily misunderstand.

I recommend both the book and the movie, as long as you understand their respective limitations.