So you think the general ignorance of the people around you may spell the downfall of the human species? Maybe you’re right. If you do, you’re right in line with the plot of Upgrade, the 2022 novel by Blake Crouch. So, tell you what, I’ll base my entire argument on this doctoral thesis … case report … fine, it’s just a science fiction novel. But I still think we can learn a lot from it.
Fair warning: there may be slight spoilers to come.
Spoiler Alert!!
Spoiler Alert!!
Okay, you’ve been warned.
Let’s start with a very brief overview of the novel to get us all on the same page. Logan Ramsay has had his genome upgraded—hence the title of the novel—so he’s basically a super-human. His intelligence is off the charts. He has a photographic memory of everything he’s ever encountered, with near perfect recall. Logan can interpret other’s micro-expressions to determine if they’re lying, truthful, nervous, etc. He has increased strength, speed, endurance, healing capacity, even the ability to make his perception of time slow down. He can’t fly, but otherwise—yeah—he’s a superhuman who eventually saves humanity.
The book’s epilogue ends with a 4-page letter written by Logan. It’s addressed to his daughter and former wife, referencing the man that took his place.
As I finish this letter, I’m sitting in a car across the street from a place I used to call home. It’s the night before Ava’s graduation, and through the front window, I can see the two of you and John in the living room. I think you’re playing a game. There’s definitely a lot of laughter, and I cannot escape the thought that you look like a family.
This hurts me deeply; and it makes me happy.
What do you call a heart that is simultaneously full and breaking? Maybe there’s no word for it, but for some reason, it makes me think of rain falling through sunlight.
Those are the very final words of the book. No “I love you.” No “Logan” or “Dad” scribbled at the end of the letter. It also happens to conclude at the very bottom of a right-hand page. Thus, I turned the page, fully expecting a bit more of an ending, or some sort of sign off. But there was nothing. It just ended!
After sleeping on it, I came to the conclusion that I did not, in fact, get a derelict copy missing its final pages. Instead, the author intentionally ended with that very line, on that very final right-hand page. Blake Crouch wanted his readers to ponder this line. Wanted each and every one of us to question it, just as I did. To force them to re-read and internalize his meaning.
But what was his meaning?
Well, I’m glad you asked, because I think I’ve got all the answers. Logan couldn’t think of a word that means “simultaneously full and breaking.” With his superhuman intelligence, if there were such a word, he’d surely be able to come up with it. (My guess is there’s a German word with this exact meaning; German has all the best words.) He goes on to say “it makes me think of rain falling through sunlight.” Could he not think of the word rainbow, either?
Crouch obviously wanted his readers to realize that Logan was losing his superhuman intelligence, and presumably all other upgrades. Ten months earlier, Logan had released a viral vector that carried a genetic upgrade of his own creation. Rather than an upgrade to create a superhuman, his was a compassion upgrade. To guarantee the two ladies he loved were infected, he visited them personally for the first time since they were told he was killed four years earlier. (Yeah—I forgot to mention—they thought he was dead. And Logan needed to stay away from his loved ones for their own safety since bad people were looking for him.) Logan gave both ladies big, long hugs—and with it, his virus.
Here’s what I think the author wanted us to garner from those final lines. Logan lets a bit of time pass. His daughter and ex-wife will soon become extremely compassionate. As will the new man of the house, John, when he contracts the virus during a late-night roll in the proverbial hay. Or just by breathing air in the same house—whichever.
All these bad guys searching for Logan will also eventually get infected. They’ll feel sorry for ruining Logan’s life and cease looking for him. With his family no longer in danger, he has no reason to stay away from them. This brings us back to the rainbow reference the book abruptly ended with. The elusive pot-of-gold at the end of this rainbow metaphorically contains his wife and daughter—the three of them rekindling their previous family dynamic.
High levels of compassion—resulting from the virus—will not allow them to kick poor ol’ John to the curb. He’s a wonderful man who did nothing wrong. He shouldn’t be relegated to the bench like some second-rate substitute who was just brought in for a 4-year stint, while the star of the team went off to save the world. Compassion dictates he remain a member of this expanded family—maintaining full parental and sexual rights.
Upgrade is a 341-page book, but everything you really need to know is contained in those final 109 words. If we are to rely on Upgrade as a harbinger of what’s to come, it would seem monogamy is the real nemesis that’s poised to annihilate humanity. It is quite odd, though, to think that it took a superhuman genius to come to this conclusion. After all, cultures and religions around the globe have been practicing polygamy throughout history.
So, you still think the lack of collective intelligence of humans will ultimately spell the downfall of all Homo sapiens? According to my interpretation of Upgrade, the true culprit is monogamy. The only means of averting catastrophic disaster on a species-wide scale may be to acquiesce to polygamy and all other forms of open-relationships. Are you willing to do your part—by sharing your parts with a plethora of others—to help save the human race? I sure as hell don’t have the balls to broach the subject with my [one and only] wife. I may not be a genius … but I’m not that stupid, either! So, I guess, yeah, come to think of it … You’re Probably Right.
[050] October 23, 2022