The Spheres of Heaven — D.C. Johnson

The working title of my novel was Metamorphosis, for transmutation was the vehicle by which I intended to explore the concept of identity.
There is abundant research on the effects of nature and nurture and their repercussions on personality development. It is well documented that our genes dictate our traits and that our exposure to experiences in the world mould our attitudes, principles and morals which, in turn, enable the intellect to forge and govern our attitudes and behaviour.
Our identities, the perceptions others have of them, and the perception we have of the perception others have of them, carry a huge burden. The weak often struggle with the paranoia of self-identity; the strong appear to glide through life unaffected but often paddle furiously in deep running waters.
My thesis embraces a belief in universal self-doubt and the tenuous grasp we have on the nature and structure of our existence and on how we define ourselves, within this context. It explores, by means of control experiment, (transmutation), the reference points of our existence, both the unwarranted pride and abhorrence we recognise in ourselves and, above all, the enigma that is our identity.