Rating: 
Summary: A Great Premise Poorly Executed
Review: A man born without the ability to feel either pain or emotion is definitely an interesting character, but an interesting character alone does not a great novel make. Andrew Miller has taken a great idea and created a mediocre book. While I don't have to have every detail spelled out, I would like to see characters working towards some sort of goal, even if it's just to become a better person. In Ingenious Pain, Miller simply reports random events in the life of James Dyer. There is no goal, no plot, no point. (We already know that a life without emotion is really no life at all!) The author has simply cast us to sea and let us drift. Miller also denies us access to the characters' thoughts (a typical beginner's mistake). Had we been privy to those thoughts (especially Dyer's) the novel would have been greatly enriched. In my opinion, Miller is being far too coy with us and coyness in the service of plot is really not fair to the reader. Finally, while Miller's writing style is definitely not the purple prose of Anne Rice, it is much too flowery (the absolute mark of the amateur...ask your writing teacher!). Great books don't need gimmicks. Ingenious Pain is a wonderful premise that falls far short of the mark.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is great
Review: An exceptional debut which has left me eager to read Miller's upcoming work "Oxygen". Philosophically, the novel as a whole may be seen as a statement on the nature of pain, emotional as well as physical, and its vital role in creating a well-balanced individual. No one wants to suffer. Yet too little, too late might be even worse, and unless one is accustomed to pain gradually, normally, through a lifetime's experiences, a single sudden burst of anguish could have far more devastating consequences on the mind and body of such a novice to pain than it would on someone vaccinated by experience. Like children learning to swim, we must test the water one shallow dip at a time or risk being suddenly drowned by the deep.Born in 1739, James Dyer is of the same race of magnificent freaks as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in "Perfume", or perhaps Luís Mariano Malasaña in "Secrets of the Painter". Growing up, Dyer's physical insensibility shapes him into a curiously warped individual, impervious to pain yet seemingly also unable to experience pleasure. His first sexual experience (with twins, yet!) seems to him more like hard work than anything else. Only unphysical pleasures such as greed or fame seem to appeal to him at all. It is certainly credible that a man such as Dyer might make an exceptionally skilled surgeon, even in our own age, let alone in the medically backward 18th century. Dyer's coldly talented use of the scalpel leaves one wondering if perhaps such skill might be due to the fact that his ignorance of pain gives him the will to make cuts which "normal" surgeons might shie away from, all too humanly aware of the pain they were about to inflict. Dyer has no such psychological restraint on his hand. All of Miller's characters are vigorously alive, pouring unstoppably from the page into our minds; Miller skillfully uses, but does not overuse, literary devices such as letters between them to more fully tell Dyer's tale. Dyer changes in the course of the book; I won't say how, and whether he (and any patients of his) benefitted or not from the change is a matter for debate. But by drawing you completely into the often sordid banality of life in the mid-1700s, the book will drown out the background noise around you, and give you a world in which to think and a lot to think about.
Rating:
Summary: _Ingenious Pain_ is a complex pleasure
Review: I don't remember ever reading a first novel that captured my attention so completely while simultaneously challenging all of my standard expectations for fiction. Almost everything about this book was a pleasant surprise. Set in the Eighteenth Century, this somewhat picaresque tale follows the life of James Dyer, a man born without the ability to feel pain, from conception until his death. The book actually begins with Dyer's autopsy, a scene that is puzzling (since there is no exposition) and brutally ugly. I was tempted to put the book down, since for the first thirty or so pages scenes and characters appear with no context and I had very little idea of what anything meant. That would have been a mistake. As soon as the author leaps back to the day of Dyer's conception and the story begins to move forward I was hooked. Because James cannot feel pain he never develops empathy with others and grows to be a remarkably capable surgeon but a very cold man. The story of his awakening as a real human being, which occupies the last quarter of the novel, is very moving without the least traces of sentimentality. The cast of characters that Andrew Miller has invented as supporting players are all interesting and complex. The stages of Dyer's life, from a childhood on a farm (where he was thought to be an idiot since he didn't speak), through a stint as a medicine show freak, then as a 'specimen' of human oddities by a wealthy collector of such, to a life at sea, the building of a successful practice as a surgeon, affairs, duels, flight, a dangerous journey to St. Petersburg and then the collapse of his sanity and his health resulting in a stint in London's notorious Bedlam hospital, are all told in a style that while borrowing from some conventions of eighteenth century writing never try to ape it. I loved the sound of Miller's words and the shape of the sentences. This is a book I could have enjoyed reading aloud. This is a complex book on many levels, but not an inaccessable one. The story - once into it - is clear and the characters are cleanly drawn. There are enough ups and downs of fortune to keep even the most jaded fiction fan interested while at the same time the complexity of character, language and theme provide much for those who love to puzzle out the hidden meanings in literature. This was a fascinating book and I was sorry to see it end. I really recommend it to anyone who wants something that can challenge the mind while satisfying all reader's love of a good story.
Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT AND ORIGINAL
Review: James Dyer was born without the ability to feel either pain or emotion. As such, he lacks empathy, the epitome of all human qualities. What happens when James undergoes a radical transformation forms the central questions this novel poses--Is it pain that defines our humanity and lies at its heart? Does a surfeit of pain destroy humanity as effectively as does its absence? How do we achieve the necessary balance between empathy and self-destruction? Ingenious Pain encompasses a brilliantly original premise, almost faultlessly executed. Andrew Miller has created complex and believable characters of tremendous emotional depth in a setting true to its times. His extraordinary use of language paints a word picture that reaches both the depths of despair and the heights of hope, ending on a note of both tragedy and joy. The juxtaposition of the unfeeling Dyer against images of astounding richness creates metaphors of striking beauty and pain. The book's only fault lies in its lengthy backstory. Miller spends far too much time detailing Dyer's childhood, time that could have been better and more interestingly spent detailing Dyer, the man. (The sections with Gummer and Mr. Canning, in particular, seemed to serve no useful purpose and did nothing to enrich the book.) Although slightly less than perfect, Ingenious Pain is still astounding in its brilliance; a novel whose theme and symbolism will haunt you with questions for years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Neither as bad as some would paint it, nor...
Review: Particularly since it won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1999, this novel seems to have polarised reviewers. Some have been caustic about it's supposed deficiencies, while others have heaped praise upon this debut novel of Andrew Miller. Certainly it is an ingenious idea for a story. A boy, the consequence of an illicit liason, grows having no feelings (of pain, but also it seems of emotions). After an eventful childhood he becomes a renowned surgeon as an adult, only to discover pain in a disappointment and subsequently to be admitted to an asylum. The events of his incarceration and subsequent release lead him to a quiet life in the country and his subsequent death, which was also the starting point for the novel. Some things disappointed me. At times the novel felt disjointed as various devices, such as letters and different narrative voices, seemed to intrude rather than to help. I also felt the reader was left hanging somewhat over both how James Dyer was born to not feel pain, and then how this sense of feeling was recovered. On the whole, though, after some difficulty in starting the novel I finished it very quickly and found it an entertaining read. Perhaps the secret is to not have too high an expectation, and then see how Miller's writing style sits with you. Do read it though.
Rating: 
Summary: Ingenious? Maybe. Pain? Certainly.
Review: Perhaps it is not fair of me to review a book that I didn't finish, but I bought the book on the basis of other reviews read here. The concept of a person born with out the capacity to feel physical pain is an intriguing one indeed. Unfortunately, it is the reader that really suffers the pain of this book. The first 20 or so pages were so stuffed with descriptions of autopsy, blood lettings and other painful and disgusting practices that I finally had to put the book down in revulsion. I still cringe thinking about it. Perhaps there is an audience that would enjoy reading this book, I however, am not among them.
Rating:
Summary: Pent Up Pain Destroys and Rebuilds
Review: Precise, cold, and cutting. Reflecting the lead character Dr. James Dyer, the author succeeds admirably in impressing upon the reader the lack of passion, empathy, or human feeling in this story. That is not a condemnation; to the contrary, by the time the novel has finished, Dyer has gone through a transformation to a more sympathetic character, producing a strong emotional response. This novel continues the favorable trend I've seen with English authors, including Rupert Thompson and Patrick McGrath. I find something about their writing styles fascinating and alluring, so crisp, cool, and ultimately detached. The novel takes place in the early 1700's. James Dyer, bastard son, is born without the ability to feel physical pain. As one might imagine, this opens the doors to some interesting careers, including con artist sidekick [magic elixir cures all pain, buy now], and high society medical curiosity. Eventually though, Dyer, who incidentally is as uncaring and emotionally aloof as he is impervious to injury, decides to become a physician. Slicing and dicing with gusto and a stilted bedside manner, he creates quite a name for himself, including a stint in the British navy. A sprint to the far reaches of Russia is necessary for James to begin his descent to the world of pain for his hubris. Contributing to this descent are his erstwhile travel partners and a mysterious, almost otherworldly presence in the character of Mary. Dyer's eventual indoctrination to the world of pain he has skirted for so long is shattering. The remainder of the novel deals with slow, painful metamorphosis. Upon completion I like to reflect on the emotion(s) produced by a novel. With Ingenious Pain, it is pity and sympathy. A very good read, and recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A curious, though interesting,book.
Review: The main character in this novel can literally feel no pain (until a curious incident towards the end of his life). This inability aids him through his life as he moves from childhood poverty, through various ordeals. His lack of feeling (and empathy) allows him to become a successful surgeon - he's not too squeamish to experiment - but eventually arrogance gets the better of him. He joins a competition to inoculate the Russian
Czarina of the day, which entails a hazardous trip across 18th Century Europe. It is the failure of this quest which finally moves him to feel pain, and thereafter he spends a period in a lunatic asylum, event though released he seems a much reduced, more ordinary figure. I liked the book for its descriptions of 18th Century life. It gives a feel for the emergence of Scientific method, which is beginning to break away from superstition and faith-based beliefs. It gives a convincing view of the type of person who would drive this search for scientific knowledge as ruthless and willing to break through social norms. On the downside the book feels like an vehicle to be used to discuss various social and historical themes and settings. I did not feel much empathy for the main character (maybe this is intentional), and my main sympathies were for the secondary characters - much of the story is told by way of their descriptions of the action, rather than in direct description. In general a cerebral exercise, illuminating for those who are perhaps interested in the history of the times.
Rating:
Summary: A curious, though interesting,book.
Review: The main character in this novel can literally feel no pain (until a curious incident towards the end of his life). This inability aids him through his life as he moves from childhood poverty, through various ordeals. His lack of feeling (and empathy) allows him to become a successful surgeon - he's not too squeamish to experiment - but eventually arrogance gets the better of him. He joins a competition to inoculate the Russian
Czarina of the day, which entails a hazardous trip across 18th Century Europe. It is the failure of this quest which finally moves him to feel pain, and thereafter he spends a period in a lunatic asylum, event though released he seems a much reduced, more ordinary figure. I liked the book for its descriptions of 18th Century life. It gives a feel for the emergence of Scientific method, which is beginning to break away from superstition and faith-based beliefs. It gives a convincing view of the type of person who would drive this search for scientific knowledge as ruthless and willing to break through social norms. On the downside the book feels like an vehicle to be used to discuss various social and historical themes and settings. I did not feel much empathy for the main character (maybe this is intentional), and my main sympathies were for the secondary characters - much of the story is told by way of their descriptions of the action, rather than in direct description. In general a cerebral exercise, illuminating for those who are perhaps interested in the history of the times.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Speculation
Review: The main character of this book, James Dyer, was fascinating to me. I keep wondering if the author has known an individual like Dyer in his contemporary life. Dyer's abilities of not feeling pain and healing quickly take him through an early life of survival and success as a canny surgeon. Dyer suffered an abrupt change and came to meet all his pains, and indeed suffered them all at once. The thing that I did not understand is why this happened to him. The life event which was supposed to have precipitated the change is unconvincing. There was a reference to the supernatural in this change but I had trouble telling if the supernatural element helped him into his feeling state or helped him cope with the problems of his feeling state. I really thought the setting of the 1700s was well described. The author neither glorified nor villified the age. The description of life in a mental instutition of the time was very interesting. Did the author do research on this topic or did he make up this information? If there was research, it would be nice to see the sources. In any case, he presented a very believable situation. This is a book that can be discussed, because questions are raised that are not easily answered. My favorite quote refers to love: "It is like the rain, brother. You cannot always be out of it."
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