''Triggers'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian writer Robert J. Sawyer. It was originally serialized in ''Analog''.

Plot summary

In the near future, a war veteran named Kadeem Adams is about to undergo a highly experimental memory editing treatment for

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

at Washington, D.C.'s Luther Terry Hospital. Seth Jerrison, the President of the United States, is rushed to the same hospital after being shot in an assassination attempt. Adams' treatment goes awry due to the

electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also referred to as a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. The origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic field, as an ...

from a new type of bomb planted by terrorists, which destroys the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

just as the treatment begins. It becomes clear that terrorists have infiltrated the

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

. When President Jerrison recovers consciousness, he can remember Kadeem Adams' life as well as his own. Kadeem Adams finds himself able to remember the life of someone else who was nearby in the hospital, and others nearby are similarly affected. This raises the possibility that someone in the vicinity has access to President Jerrison's memories, some of which are extremely secret; these include plans for a major, morally questionable, anti-terrorist action codenamed Counter Punch. In large part, the book has a thriller type plot. Learning how the memories of many of the characters were intertwined is a key to such things as finding who has the President's memories and who the terrorists are. However, much of the book is about the characters and interactions of the people whose minds have been subjected to what is suggested to be

quantum entanglement Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon where the quantum state of each Subatomic particle, particle in a group cannot be described independently of the state of the others, even when the particles are separated by a large distance. The topic o ...

. Not all of them are good people. After one of them dies, the quantum entanglement gets stronger rather than weaker.

Critical reaction

Critical reaction varied, especially regarding the book's ending. Writing in the ''Globe and Mail'', Michael Matheson simultaneously criticized the ending as utopian and described it as "chilling". Leo Graziani considered it optimistic. Alex Good called it "cybertopian" In the ''Toronto Star''.

TV adaption

In 2014, Sawyer was commissioned to adapt ''Triggers'' into a film.

Notes

External links

* *{{Cite news , last = Graziani , first = Leo, title = Remembering the Future: An Interview with Robert J. Sawyer, journal = Mississauga Life , date = March 20, 2012, url = http://mississaugalife.ca/2012/03/remembering-the-future-an-interview-with-robert-j-sawyer/ 2012 Canadian novels Novels by Robert J. Sawyer Novels first published in serial form Canadian science fiction novels Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact 2012 science fiction novels Novels about terrorism Novels set in Washington, D.C. Viking Press books