Saramago, Jose. Blindness.

Blindness is a novel that you will not easily forget.  It is a metaphysical thriller, following a group of people who are suddenly struck blind and find themselves bound together in their struggles and desires.  Eventually, the blindness spreads throughout the society.  This novel is written by Jose Saramago—a writer whom you will want to read at least once during your lifetime.  Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998, he was a Portuguese novelist whose work examines the human condition and our need to find meaning in this often absurd world.  This novel is highly recommended.  If you don’t find Blindness on the shelf, try any of his other novels.  You can’t go wrong.