Karl Iagnemma holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from MIT, where he is currently a noted researcher and engineer. Iagnemma specializes in robotics and has been extensively published in the field; he is even involved with improving robots for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission.
However, in addition to his work in engineering, Karl Iagnemma is also a distinguished fiction writer. In an interview with ArtSake, Iagnemma pointed out, “The clichéd view of science is that it’s cold, analytical work performed by cold, analytical individuals. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.”
Iagnemma’s passion for academia and science is coupled with a fascination with characters and places, their stories and histories. Sometime during his undergraduate years at the University of Michigan, Iagnemma began to explore these juxtaposed fields through fiction—he wrote most of his first anthology of short stories, On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction during graduate school.
Now, Iagnemma’s writing achievements are nearly level with those of his scientific achievements. He has received numerous awards and his work has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. After the success of his short story collection, Iagnemma penned his first novel. The Expeditions was released in 2008.
In an interview with LabLit.com contributor Amy Charles, Iagnemma said that in writing his novel, he discovered that it “draws an explicit parallel between the act of doing research and the act of creating art.” Indeed, through the book the reader encounters the same theme that Iagnemma describes experiencing in his career—creative writing and scientific research are just different methods of exploring and interpreting the world around you.
The novel is formed by two alternating narratives from the perspectives of a father and son, the Reverend and Elisha Stone. Elisha is sixteen years old in 1844, and he has just run away and signed on to accompany two scientists in an exploration of Michigan’s northern peninsula. The first, “Mr. Silas A. Brush, surveyor and landlooker, hero of the Second War for Independence” is solely interested in ascertaining the natural resources the land has to offer. His fieldbook journal entries are filled with precision and detail, but describe only one or two specific mineral specimens. Professor George Tiffin, on the other hand, is preoccupied with grander ideals. On this expedition, Tiffin is determined to find the certain artifacts that he believes will prove the Chippewa to be descendents of Jewish migrants from Europe. With this, he wants to prove the “connexion of the White and Red races” and ultimately, the unity of all races of Man. Elisha is caught between the two, trying to learn from both but not really believing in either.
Reverend Stone has not heard from his son for three years. Before leaving on his expedition, Elisha sends his mother a letter giving her his location. However, in Elisha’s absence, his mother has passed away. When Reverend Stone receives the letter, he impulsively makes the decision to travel from Newell, Massachusetts to Detroit, tracking his son in the wilderness to bring him the news of his mother’s death. Along the way the Reverend is forced to confront his roles as a father, a husband, and a man of faith.
Karl Iagnemma writes an intelligent novel with a mature narrative that stands out from its peers. It satisfies a thirst for understanding and intellectual exploration in a way that only good literature can.
The Expeditions
By Karl Iagnemma
336 pp. Dial Press Trade Paperback $15.00
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