Bewilderment
Books | Fiction / Literary
4
(2.6K)
Richard Powers
The astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly raising his unusual nine-year-old, Robin, following the death of his wife. Robin is a warm, kind boy who spends hours painting elaborate pictures of endangered animals. He's also about to be expelled from third grade for smashing his friend in the face. As his son grows more troubled, Theo hopes to keep him off psychoactive drugs. He learns of an experimental neurofeedback treatment to bolster Robin's emotional control, one that involves training the boy on the recorded patterns of his mother's brain...With its soaring descriptions of the natural world, its tantalizing vision of life beyond, and its account of a father and son's ferocious love, Bewilderment marks Richard Powers's most intimate and moving novel. At its heart lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet?
Science Fiction
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Richard Powers
Pages
278
Publisher
W. W. Norton, Incorporated
Published Date
2021
ISBN
0393881148 9780393881141
Community ReviewsSee all
"How to explain the unimaginable to your children - use your imagination and theirs. Theo and his son Robin are trying to navigate the fragile world after the death of his wife, and to navigate Robin’s special sensitivities. "
Jackie Davidson
"Wisconsin "
Rachel Joy
"god this book was boring"
B r
Brittany rhymes
"“A real bummer of book.”
A meditation on the bristling and unfair contradictions of humanity’s decline.
A tender portrayal of a father’s love for his wife and son.
Sensitive, beautiful souls whose myopic focus on ‘’what if, if only” futures becomes self-harming.
A man who could have really used a friend after his wife died.
A reminder that it takes a village to raise a child, and it will take all our villages to save our earth. If we could only learn to ask for help."
Steph Kay
"3.5/5 stars"
L F
Lisa Francine
"Deep and engrossing. All the feels."
Michelle Bennett
"This is one of the best and most terrible books all at the same time! It’s so beautiful and emotionally grabs you through out and then my heart cracked wide open at the end and I cried my eyes out for 20 minutes 😭"
Sherry De La Torre
"This book cracked my heart open. A moving tale of wonder and connection to those we love- human and other. For lovers of psychology, astronomy, and Earth, this is a must read. There is a bit of sci-fi and comedy mixed in too! If you’re a parent, I’d imagine this book would hit even deeper. Loved it. "
K H
Katie Harris
"An absolutely beautiful novel about the diversity of “gifts” and a father’s love for his son"
Shelley Roberts McLay
"Perspectives from inside that are absolutely worth exploring, and perspectives from outside -- as in OUTSIDE, nature, space, wildest imagination -- all worth exploring. Beautiful writing."
Sarah Martin
