After “Rising Sun,” Michael Crichton frustrates his science fiction fans by releasing yet another non-SF novel. But “Disclosure” (1994) is different in that it has stayed timely until today, as it examines sexual harassment and the accompanying lawsuits.
While the talk of the internet as something futuristic and mysterious is funny now, “Disclosure” is engrossing for its portrayal of how a corporation’s internal politics drive decisions.
A powerful message
When we think of the term “sexual harassment,” our gut reaction is to think of sex, and probably a man harassing a woman, but Crichton effectively shows that it’s about power.
The book notes that 5 percent of sexual harassment claims are brought by men against women, and that happens to be the same percentage of women in corporate executive positions in 1994.
The author gender-flips (compared to expectations) the protagonist and antagonist in order to illustrate that abuse of power is not gender-specific. This smoothly and effectively clears away distracting false clichés such as women being victims because they are inherently weak.
Milquetoast Seattle computer-tech manager Tom Sanders is called into a meeting by his new boss, Meredith Johnson. She sexually harasses him, as we know because we as readers are the only witnesses to the scene. They both file complaints with HR, but employees and casual observers tend to believe what “she said” rather than what “he said.”
Physical science
Despite being set in a tech company and featuring virtual reality segments, “Disclosure” has less science than most Crichton books. But the Sanders-Johnson encounter nicely illustrates some physical science: Men’s physical reactions in sexual situations are not entirely voluntarily.
This is why it is technically possible for a man to be raped by a woman, let alone sexually harassed. Public sympathy may not be there for an adult male, and he’ll likely be embarrassed to acknowledge the event, but it can happen.
“Disclosure” never feels mundane, even though it simply shows Sanders’ days at the office – typical at first, wracked with tension after the Johnson encounter.
We get a good picture of what a division head deals with in order to keep things moving, to solve problems and to deal with internal politics. Although email is a new thing in this story, the gist of Sanders’ duties still apply today.
I enjoyed reading about Sanders, who is not easy to categorize. He’s a victim, and he has made himself a target by not being observant about things outside the specifics of his job. He’s not blessed with a good memory, either, as his previous romantic relationship with Meredith is slow to come back to him.
Fighting the power
Despite his pushover qualities, Sanders decides to fight back. Crichton doesn’t show us the decision-making process, but it’s like something clicks in Sanders’ brain where he decides he has enough dignity to not roll over.
I wouldn’t say he’s a total Everyman, though. He has enough money to hire an expensive lawyer. He also gets lucky breaks along the way.
Still, “Disclosure” is wish fulfillment in that the (relative) little guy – outnumbered and outspent – takes on a corporation and wins. It also has those frustrating moments where he’s getting beat down by the system – but not too many. Crichton always gives us at least a smidgen of hope for Sanders.
But the main thing that keeps the pages flipping is that this novel is so propulsive, filled with nugget-sized mysteries and puzzles that we suspect will be key to the endgame.
Crichton probably thought his musings about the internet, email, CD-ROMs and virtual-reality headsets would hook readers (and probably they did at the time).
But it’s his pure ability to write a fast-moving thriller with high stakes for Tom that makes “Disclosure” timeless.