Hysteresis: An Asymmetric Account of an Individual Apocalypse
review by H.E. Gorton
October 28, 2013
Dr. Keffer’s novel truly lives up to its title.
He defines hysteresis as the difference between coming and going. Hysteresis is as a principle is the foundation of variety in existence.
In his book, things are never as they seem, it is full of surprises and fluidity,
characters and settings are changed by each other throughout the many journeys undertaken over the course of this work.
I cannot reveal these surprises lest I degrade the pleasure of reading the book,
but I will say that at first they appear absurd and irrational,
but on closer inspection they are sensible if still confounding and illogical.
It is healthy to read a book that requires some level of cognition to understand.
This is how the author differentiates his work from books such as Bad Monkey and Twilight.
In this book Dr. Keffer engages the reader in the inherit differences between light and dark.
He observes how their interplay and their opposed nature affect the almost identical narrators.
Both are led to their demise by the course of the eternal conflict between light and dark.
This is surely on some level a metaphor. Between the light and the dark, you can see a kind of hysteresis unfolding.
Perhaps in all dualities, hysteresis is implicit. As Hysteresis acts on one’s perception,
light and dark work on a deeper level, seeping into ones nature.
Surely my thoughts wander from purely reviewing, but I wish to demonstrate the depth and effort
Dr. Keffer puts into making his books both profound and outlandish. It is just as any apocalypse should be.
H.E. Gorton
Phoenix, Arizona
