We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.
The classic novel about a daring experiment in human intelligence
Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper and the gentle butt of everyone’s jokes – until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius.
But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental transformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.
Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper and the gentle butt of everyone’s jokes – until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius.
But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental transformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.
Reviews
This is one of the greats: a story and a central character that have stayed with me for thirty years, from the first moment I picked it up
A masterpiece of poignant brilliance . . . heartbreaking, and utterly, completely brilliant
A timeless tearjerker
Excellent . . . extremely moving
Unflinchingly honest . . . it will make you reflect on your own life . . . and completely and utterly break your heart
A narrative tour de force, very moving, beautiful and remorseless in its simple logic
Strikingly original
A tale that is convincing, suspectful and touching
