Bewilderment

The time is now, with the events pushed just slightly from what they are (or, at least, let's hope these have been slightly pushed from what they are). America is in deep trouble. The natural world is in deep trouble. Theo works to try to find life on other planets and his job is in deep trouble. Worst of all, our main characters, a dad (Theo) and his son (Robin), are in deep trouble: Robin snaps, falls apart, at a word misspoken, an action poorly taken, and he is in deep trouble; and Theo is lost as a parent, and he is in deep trouble.

(Caution: Some spoilers in the next paragraph.)

Along comes a miracle cure for Robin, and it arises from a strange yet oddly appropriate source. As Robin cools and, before our eyes, minute by minute, becomes a better person, so does Theo cool and become a better person, and, likewise, so does America and the natural world and everything else cool and become better.

(Warning: Lavish gushing slopping through the next paragraph.)

I adore Richard Powers, I prize him, I idolize him. I know nothing about science, and I don't want to know anything about science, but Powers is brilliant with it, and he shares it on every page, and I'm spellbound. More than that, he writes about Important Things that leave your brain buzzing and sparking, and he never makes you feel the Important Things are beyond you even though you really don't understand even a smidgen of what he's talking about.

I can't wait to talk about this book with others who have read it. I will be pushing this book on everyone I meet, I'm afraid.