What would you do if someone offered you the chance to live longer? Not just a few years longer, but two or three times the average lifespan? What would be the benefits and the drawbacks? And what if you were the person who had discovered a way to make all of this a reality? These questions form the premise of John Wyndham’s 1960 novel, Trouble with Lichen, the book recently chosen for me to read in the latest Classics Club Spin.

The novel is written from the perspectives of scientists Francis Saxover and Diana Brackley, as well as Francis’ two children, Zephanie and Paul. Diana is a newly qualified biochemist working for Francis at his research facility, Darr House, when they both notice the strange effects of a piece of lichen which has been accidentally dropped into the cat’s saucer of milk. Each without the other’s knowledge, Diana and Francis begin to carry out their own research and both independently come to the same conclusion: the lichen seems to have properties that preserve a youthful appearance and slow down the rate at which people age. Rather than share her findings with Francis, Diana leaves the company and the two don’t see each other again for several years.

Because the supply of this particular species of lichen is very limited – it seems that it only grows in one small part of the world – Francis and Diana both sense that it could be dangerous to make the results of their research public before they’ve found a way to create the substance synthetically in the lab. Francis begins to treat himself with the lichen extract, implanting it beneath his skin, and does the same for his two teenage children, although he doesn’t tell them exactly what it is. Diana, on the other hand, starts her own beauty company, Nefertiti Ltd, and injects the substance into some of her wealthy female clients, again without being honest with them. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before the world learns the truth…

Although I wouldn’t describe myself as a big fan of science fiction, I’ve read and enjoyed several of John Wyndham’s novels. Trouble with Lichen has a slightly different feel – there’s less plot, less action and more discussion of ideas, ethics and moral dilemmas – but I enjoyed this one as well. It was interesting to consider the various implications of increasing our longevity; Francis and Diana seem to assume that everyone will be fighting to get their hands on the substance (referred to as an ‘antigerone’), but the thought of living to be two or three hundred years old doesn’t sound at all appealing to me! What do you think? Would you like to?

The novel has a strong feminist message, which isn’t really what I expected from a book written by a male author in the 1960s, and I appreciate what he was trying to do, although it didn’t always work! Diana believes she can create a future where women don’t need to rush into marriage because their childbearing years will last a lot longer, giving them time to pursue a meaningful career. This is the motive behind Nefertiti – she wants to gain the support of some of the world’s most powerful and influential women – but the way she goes about it, giving the drug to her clients without their knowledge, is completely unethical however she tries to justify it. There’s also a strong implication that the biggest benefit for women is that they’ll be able to continue looking young and attractive for much longer, which will keep their husbands happy.

This isn’t one of my favourite books by Wyndham and if you’re new to his work, I would recommend starting with a different one – maybe The Day of the Triffids or The Midwich Cuckoos – but although it’s not the most exciting story, it’s definitely a fascinating one. The final section is particularly interesting, where we see a whole range of different views from journalists, political parties, religious groups, trade unions and the general public. Not all of our questions are answered by the end of the book – in fact, I found the ending quite abrupt – but we are certainly left with a lot to think about!

This is book 1/50 from my third Classics Club list.