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Bewilderment

Bewilderment

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  • Create Date：2021-09-16 04:51:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
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  • Author：Richard Powers
  • ISBN：1785152645
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Summary

THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING， BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF THE OVERSTORY

'It changed how I thought about the Earth and our place in it。 。 。 。 It changed how I see things and that's always， for me， a mark of a book worth reading。' Barack Obama on The Overstory
'Really， just one of the best novels， period。' Ann Patchett on The Overstory
'Breathtaking。' Barbara Kingsolver on The Overstory
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Picked as one of the 'Best Books of 2021' in the Sunday Times

Theo Byrne is a promising young astrobiologist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away。 He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old。 His son Robin is funny， loving， and filled with plans。 He thinks and feels deeply， adores animals， and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures。 He is also on the verge of being expelled from third grade， for smashing his friend's face with a metal thermos。

What can a father do， when the only solution offered to his rare and troubled boy is to put him on psychoactive drugs？ What can he say when his boy comes to him wanting an explanation for a world that is clearly in love with its own destruction？ The only thing for it is to take the boy to other planets， while all the while fostering his son's desperate campaign to help save this one。
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'The best book I've read in 10 years。 A remarkable piece of literature 。。。 a lodestone。' Emma Thompson on The Overstory

'Radical and exciting。' Jessie Burton on The Overstory

'A remarkable piece of fiction。' New York Times on The Overstory

'An extraordinary novel。' Guardian on The Overstory

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Reviews

abookshared ，

Bewilderment by Richard Powers is a powerful novel set in America at an unspecified time and follows the relationship between widowed father， Theo Byrne and his 9-year-old son Robin。 Robin lost his mother at 7 years old and ever since Theo has been trying his very best to parent this unique child alone。 When we first meet these characters， Robin has been suspended from school following a violent outbreak and Theo is desperately searching for another way to manage his son without resorting to put Bewilderment by Richard Powers is a powerful novel set in America at an unspecified time and follows the relationship between widowed father， Theo Byrne and his 9-year-old son Robin。 Robin lost his mother at 7 years old and ever since Theo has been trying his very best to parent this unique child alone。 When we first meet these characters， Robin has been suspended from school following a violent outbreak and Theo is desperately searching for another way to manage his son without resorting to putting him on psychoactive drugs， despite the warnings from the school。 Theo is an astrobiologist and focuses Robin’s interest on the other life-supporting planets he is modelling in his work， visiting each of them together in conversations。 Finally， Theo discovers a ground-breaking therapy for Robin which completely changes the course of their lives and relationship forever。 Their story is set against a turbulent political and environmental background， one which is not unlike our own both recently and in the challenges we will continue to face into the future。This is the first of Richard Powers books I have read， I was drawn in by the intriguing synopsis and thoroughly enjoyed this book。 The characters were incredibly well written and could feel the internal struggle Theo faced when protecting his son and trying to do his best for him。 This story is beautiful and powerful， it explores societal norms and raises important environmental issues。 I loved Robin as a character， he is enthusiastic and profound， feels deeply and is completely innocent to the horrors of the world。 I was completely drawn into their lives and as the story reaches its conclusion， I dreaded what I suspected the outcome would be for Theo and Robin， yet I was compelled to keep reading。 A timely and valuable book。 Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK， Cornerstone for the opportunity to read a digital copy for review。 。。。more

Henk ，

Oké ordered this book after the shortlisting for the 2021 Booker prize， let’s see if it can live up to the grand expectations I have 🚀🌍

Jayasri Prasanna ，

"Oh， this planet was a good one。 And we， too， were good， as good as the burn of the sun and the rain’s sting and the smell of living soil， the all-over song of endless solutions signing the air of a changing world that by every calculation ought never to have been。"Bewilderment is the book that will make your mind run in a circle with thoughts。 I was not at all interested in this book at first but the moment I have spotted astrobiology in the blurb， I am a goner。 It was the dream of baby Jayasri "Oh， this planet was a good one。 And we， too， were good， as good as the burn of the sun and the rain’s sting and the smell of living soil， the all-over song of endless solutions signing the air of a changing world that by every calculation ought never to have been。"Bewilderment is the book that will make your mind run in a circle with thoughts。 I was not at all interested in this book at first but the moment I have spotted astrobiology in the blurb， I am a goner。 It was the dream of baby Jayasri to be an astrobiologist and work in NASA。 But when I saw the amount of physics I have to deal with in high school， I bid goodbye to that dream。 Oh well， at least all the random facts I collected even after my farewell to the dream helped me understand this book。At the core， we have a father and son who are struggling to cope with the loss of Aly。 Aly， an animal rights activist who dies in a car accident， is a constant part of the lives of Theo and Robin。 As Theo doesn't want to medicate Robin with drugs， he opts for a neural feedback therapy that uses fMRI and brain mapping。 After this therapy， we do see visible changes in Robin but what will happen when the treatment is interrupted？This book reminded me a lot of Weather by Jenny Offill。 I forgot much of the plot of that book， but the same claustrophobic political atmosphere can be observed here too。 Set in a near-future society， Powers through Robin is asking us to think about what are we doing to our planet？ Using the Fermi paradox as a device， Powers explores what is the point of hope when everything seems hopeless？ To pace visibly distressed Robin， Theo creates alternative universes using his models。 What first starts as a refreshing activity， soon turns into a feverish prayer to find hope that life can be found even in uninhabitable places。Through Robin's eyes， we see the devastating state of our earth， which made me question what are we going to leave for our next generation。 I can't help but observe a Sisyphean quality in the book。 The book starts and nearly ends at the same point as a boulder pushed through the mountain。 And it made me realize that the life we make between the ups and downs is what matters。 The goal is not important but the journey and the impact we make in the journey is what makes one's life meaningful， isn't it？The second part of the book is surprisingly political。 Yes！ The scientific jargon was there but the tension created by politics and politicians was so palpable。 I couldn't help but compare the political situation in the book with our current situation。 It felt surreal to even think about it。 Also， I cannot ignore the philosophical undertone in these political scenarios that made me go down a thought spiral。 Yet another example of how politicians use their powers to do anything。 They don't care about what or who is affected。 The greed for power that often affects the common man is not visible because let's face it， the common man was not the concern。I am amazed by the sheer brilliance of science in this book。 Neuroscience has always been my favourite field to explore and astrobiology is an equally interesting field。 Combine these with politics and a dash of philosophical undertone， this book is a perfect blend for speculation lovers。 It has everything。 Myth， metaphysics， evolution， ecocide and love。 The love this family share is so sweet to read。 I was a crying mess as I read this。 From the first chapter till the last， it made me constantly think of my daddy and the times we worked in our garden。 I cried， cried， cried and cried some more as I finished the last chapter。 And like I previously said， I cannot ignore the Sisyphean quality the story takes。 But then again， people leave， people， die but life goes on always。 There's a sliver of sunshine even in the darkness after all。In three words， this book is 'compact， but planetary'。Thank you for the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the review copy。 。。。more

Lucsbooks ，

General ImpressionsI had never heard about this author before I got this book in the mail but after reading the synopsis I started this book with really high expectations。 That and really afraid as well。The first sentence alone was enough for me to know I would not only finish this book but would love it and never forget it。 Those predictions came true。Bewilderment is a deceptively heavy book， but as a reader， you are allowed to breathe out and take a lot of moments to collect yourself thanks to General ImpressionsI had never heard about this author before I got this book in the mail but after reading the synopsis I started this book with really high expectations。 That and really afraid as well。The first sentence alone was enough for me to know I would not only finish this book but would love it and never forget it。 Those predictions came true。Bewilderment is a deceptively heavy book， but as a reader， you are allowed to breathe out and take a lot of moments to collect yourself thanks to its short chapters， which I'm a huge fan of。Added to the emotional aspect of this book， the reader also has to contend with a lot of scientific language and theories， so I found myself having to pause my reading every couple of pages to google things。 Strangely enough， that did not hinder my reading enjoyment and none of it felt like wasted time。 This book taught me so much about not only the universe but this world as well。On the most personal side of this book， I loved that at its very core this is a book about a single father raising and loving his only child at the same time they dealt with several kinds of grief over losing their wife/mother， their trust in democracy and humanity and lastly grieving all the plants and animals that are being lost every day as humanity is pushed by greedy politicians to ignore science and turn the blame on any kind of minorities and outsiders。This book might seem like a prediction of what our future might look like， but the tragedy is in how it really is about what's going on right now。 From the fascist politicians， media manipulation， censorship， authoritarian regimes， Twitter legislation， discrimination， climate change denial， childhood overmedication，。。。this is a look at our tragic present and the worse times ahead。 This is not an easy read but that's why it's so necessary。The only negative observation I have is that I really disliked that the author ripped off Greta Thunderbergs history and activism from her neurodivergence to the way she speaks and I seriously doubt he had her permission。ConclusionsEverybody should read this book。 It will rip your heart to shreds and then make you really nervous and mad about what's going on in the world and that's exactly how more people should be feeling。Rating: 5/5 。。。more

Lisa Spicer ，

A book of unequivocal mastery。 My first Richard Powers novel and it will not be the last。 From the outset I was captured， a book that took me both emotionally and intellectually， a book that will remain for many months to come。 A book that was read on a Kindle， and had more highlights than bookmarks！A perfect blend of science， environmental catastrophe and the portrayal of the most profoundly affecting relationship between a father and his son that I have ever read 。Theo Byrne is an astrobiologi A book of unequivocal mastery。 My first Richard Powers novel and it will not be the last。 From the outset I was captured， a book that took me both emotionally and intellectually， a book that will remain for many months to come。 A book that was read on a Kindle， and had more highlights than bookmarks！A perfect blend of science， environmental catastrophe and the portrayal of the most profoundly affecting relationship between a father and his son that I have ever read 。Theo Byrne is an astrobiologist who after the tragic loss of his wife is left to raise their unusual son Robin。 An earnest and kind hearted 9 year old boy， who struggles with the constraints of school， who cares passionately about the animals in danger of extinction and will sit and paint pictures of them meticulously for hours。 A boy who faces being kicked out of school if there isn't an intervention of some kind。Theo， a grieving father， is in the enviable position of both knowledge and circumstance， where he has the ability to take the decision that he wants to find an alternative solution for his son。 one that avoids psychoactive drugs and the path of conformity， he believes that his son should be able to develop and grow at his own pace and have the freedom to explore who he is。With a mix of science fiction and fact， Powers takes us on a journey; one that will have us looking to the stars and travelling to far away planets in the solar system， considering the possibility of life and considering concepts such as the Fermi Paradox as we watch Theo and Robin explore what could be; imagination fueled by extrapolated data。"So the universe is either pregnant everywhere or barren。 If I could tell you which， beyond doubt， would it change your study habits？"This same journey will have us looking to ourselves， to the power of the human brain and what could be achieved and conquered with resources and intelligent direction。 Here we are enlightened with the eight core emotional states in Plutchik's typology， they act as a starting point to what becomes an alternative therapy for Robin; Decoded Neurofeedback changes him in ways that drugs could never hope to。Constantly puzzled by where fact ended and fiction began， I was enthralled by the wonderous possibility of it all， mesmerized by its scope。But all of this is just the icing on the cake; at the heart of this tenderly urgent book， is the intimate story of a bold father and his unerring love for his son。 The strength it takes to parent alone， while your world has been ripped apart and you are struggling to see how you are supposed to function， without that one person who helped to make sense of the world。 The courage it takes to stand up against the complacent and the desensitized populous when your family does not fit the mould; when your son shows compassion and empathy without ego or pride; it asks the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful imperiled planet？I loved it！ What will I take away with me？ A renewed appreciation of the natural world around me， a heightened sense of how precious it is and how it needs to be protected， urgently。 What I will also take away is the joy that there are many， many more Richard Powers books that I have yet to discover。Thank you #netgalley #randomhouse and #hutchheinemann for this ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more

Meike ，

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021Okay， let's finally do this！ Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021Okay， let's finally do this！ 。。。more

Helen Precious ，

Bewilderment is an interesting book compiling multiple genre strands to entice the reader。 The pure passion and connection to the natural world is beautifully drawn with intoxicating descriptions of the wilderness of America。 This primal relationship is then balanced by the human relationship between the father and son - Theo and Robin - as they find a route through life following the death of Aly （wife/mother）。 The emotional damage caused to the fragile psyche of Robin by his bereavement couple Bewilderment is an interesting book compiling multiple genre strands to entice the reader。 The pure passion and connection to the natural world is beautifully drawn with intoxicating descriptions of the wilderness of America。 This primal relationship is then balanced by the human relationship between the father and son - Theo and Robin - as they find a route through life following the death of Aly （wife/mother）。 The emotional damage caused to the fragile psyche of Robin by his bereavement coupled seems to manifest itself in the physical destruction of the natural world around him。 To comfort his son Theo creates other possibilities on new celestial planets where a clean slate exists。 Robin's disconnect to the human world， is explored by Powers as his character undergoes experimental treatment （cerebral manipulation） to explore the interconnectedness of all life and the untapped possibilities of the world as yet understood。 At times the book suffers from its own ambitions， becoming disjointed， but overall Bewilderment is a book to recommend and will certainly encourage many a discussion。 It offers more than the recent glut of environmental literature that has hits shelves recently and will undoubtedly linger in the memory long after completion due to its devastating climax。 。。。more

Ellie at BookBucket ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 https://book-bucket。com/2021/09/14/be。。。‘Watching medicine fail my child， I developed a crackpot theory: Life is something we need to stop correcting。 My boy was a pocket universe I could never hope to fathom。 Every one of us is an experiment， and we don’t even know what the experiment is testing。’I’m going to preface my review by saying that The Overstory by Richard Powers was my Wow！！ book for 2019， because I think that may have coloured my expectations going into Bewilderment。When I think of https://book-bucket。com/2021/09/14/be。。。‘Watching medicine fail my child， I developed a crackpot theory: Life is something we need to stop correcting。 My boy was a pocket universe I could never hope to fathom。 Every one of us is an experiment， and we don’t even know what the experiment is testing。’I’m going to preface my review by saying that The Overstory by Richard Powers was my Wow！！ book for 2019， because I think that may have coloured my expectations going into Bewilderment。When I think of the story from a bit of distance I think it is fantastic。 But when I break it down into components I find myself remembering things that were irking me as I read。The first thing was the use of italics for Robin’s speech without any use of speech marks。 This was quite distracting for me for a short while because I was trying to figure out why only Robin’s dialogue was written this way。 Was he dead？ Was he a figment of Theo’s imagination？ Was Theo remembering past conversations with Robin？ And so on。 Perhaps I read too many mysteries because until it was clarified that Robin existed and this was just a particular writing quirk employed by the author I was busy speculating on the meaning behind it。 This feeling of distraction early on interfered with me bonding with Robin’s character， who was actually a sweet， caring， sensitive soul。 The second thing， which became a huge issue for me， was the discussion of Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes early in the book。 Immediately I knew how the book was going to go。 I was hoping the author would at the very least keep things ambiguous until near the end if he was going to follow that route， but he didn’t so I missed out on the elements of anticipation and suspense while reading。 If I could change one thing about this entire book it would be that Flowers For Algernon had not been mentioned at all。 Yes， those who have read that book would have picked up on the similarity – but not until much， much further on in the book。The above probably makes it sound as though I didn’t enjoy the book。 I did。 A lot。 I think it was quite brilliantly done。 Some of the more scientific nitty gritty went over my head， but I didn’t feel that it was information I needed to be able to enjoy or understand what was happening。 I could feel Robin’s bewilderment and frustration over the environmental destruction being wrought on the planet， and Theo’s helplessness to provide Robin with the answers he needed and his despair and fear as he fought to retain control over the management of his son’s condition as he thought best。It was sad and devastating story， but ultimately left me unmoved。 。。。more

Alex ，

BOOKER LONGLIST CHALLENGE （13/13）I’m done！ I can’t believe I did this。 When the longlist was announced in late July I had only read three of the thirteen books and in just a little over a month and a half I finished the other ten， right before the six finalists are announced。 I will be giving you my personal top 6 and my prediction tomorrow。 But back to this。BEWILDERMENT by Richard Powers⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This one is a doozy。 I never cry when reading but I definitely came close toward the end of this one。Ric BOOKER LONGLIST CHALLENGE （13/13）I’m done！ I can’t believe I did this。 When the longlist was announced in late July I had only read three of the thirteen books and in just a little over a month and a half I finished the other ten， right before the six finalists are announced。 I will be giving you my personal top 6 and my prediction tomorrow。 But back to this。BEWILDERMENT by Richard Powers⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This one is a doozy。 I never cry when reading but I definitely came close toward the end of this one。Richard Powers is one of the giants on this list。 His THE ECHO MAKER won the National Book Award and THE OVERSTORY won the Pulitzer and was also shortlisted for the Booker。 Powers is a master of integrating complex ideas about science and technology into compelling narratives that are emotionally resonant and intellectually stimulating。 BEWILDERMENT follows in the same tradition of his previous works， dealing with very heady and heavy topics that speaks both to large philosophical questions that are posing existential threats to the species。 Theo Byrne， the narrator of this story， is a widowed astrobiologist unexpectedly thrust into solely raising a neurodivergent child after the tragic and unexpected death of his wife。 We meet Theo and his emotionally distraught son， Robin， a couple of years after the accident， with Theo desperate to find a solution to his son’s emotional outbursts。 He eventually turns to a fellow academic who has created a neurological exercise aimed to help patients process and manage their emotional outputs and Robin finds most success aligning his mind with a pattern that his diseased mom had once provided to the experiment （the science is much more eloquently explained by Powers）。 Robin soon is not only able to better control his feelings but also grows enthused by the world of science and nature that his parents organized their lives around。 However， the environmental collapse that looms （both in this fictional world and in ours） terrifies Robin who desperately wants to share his incredibly empathy with nature， but is mostly frustrated with the antipathies of a citizenry keen to avoid the doom that approaches。 Powers is not one to shy away from arguing his position about the state of human civilization and he does so forcefully here。 Powers is deeply concerned with the ravages that contemporary capitalism has taken to our ecological systems and although he offers glimmers of hope among those keen to explore， learn and improve the world， he does not offer us a chipper way out of the conundrum our species finds itself in。 There is definitely a similar pessimism that he espoused in The Overstory。 This is maybe the saddest and darkest novel of a Booker longlist that frankly is a bit gloomy。 He inserts Bewilderment in an even more horrible timeline than ours， where a Trump-like presidency does not end and where the administration’s actions are devastating both on a global level and personally to Theo and Robin。 Although Trump is removed from office in our world， the bleak environmental events of 2021 still makes much of Bewilderment prescient and relevant。Despite the more somber tone of this book， there is still something incredibly pleasurable in reading Powers， who may be one of the most skilled writers of prose in the English language。 Especially beautiful are the passages about nature and the cosmos。 For me， the most powerful sections are little interruptions to the plot， detailing a game that Theo and Robin would play， where the father would create a detailed description of some far away planet， radically different than Earth， magical in its own way， whose particular ecological structure or cosmic surroundings has either fermented complex civilizations or limited and destroyed the possibility of them。 These chapters are truly marvelous， conveying sentiments of what is wonderful and possible in our amazing universe even if our own moment in its history feels forlorn。I can’t imagine BEWILDERMENT not being shortlisted。 Alongside THE PROMISE， it is the star of this year’s books and I certainly recommend anyone pick it up when it comes out later this month。 。。。more

Robin Price ，

This is an intellectually and emotionally challenging look at life on Earth through the microcosm of Theo Byrne， an astrobiologist， and his young son， Robin。The author paints a chilling and evocative picture of the near future with Code Red Air zones and clusters of lethal bacteria spreading up and down the Florida coast in record heat。A father's love for his troubled son permeates every single page and watching over them both is the ghost of the boy's mother， Alyssa。There are small triumphs and This is an intellectually and emotionally challenging look at life on Earth through the microcosm of Theo Byrne， an astrobiologist， and his young son， Robin。The author paints a chilling and evocative picture of the near future with Code Red Air zones and clusters of lethal bacteria spreading up and down the Florida coast in record heat。A father's love for his troubled son permeates every single page and watching over them both is the ghost of the boy's mother， Alyssa。There are small triumphs and big tragedies， and Richard Powers makes one face some serious questions about the planet on which we live。The empathy is all engrossing and the science incredibly frightening。 。。。more

Verity Halliday ，

Bewilderment is the lyrical story of a widowed father Theo and his sensitive， artistic， neurodiverse son Robin。 They are both learning to cope on this planet with the loss of vivacious environmental-campaigner mother Alyssa， while imagining （and in the case of astrobiologist Theo） looking for extraterrestrial life in far away star systems。Robbie isn’t coping well at school and， in an effort to avoid prescription medications， Theo starts homeschooling him and enrols him on some experimental neuro Bewilderment is the lyrical story of a widowed father Theo and his sensitive， artistic， neurodiverse son Robin。 They are both learning to cope on this planet with the loss of vivacious environmental-campaigner mother Alyssa， while imagining （and in the case of astrobiologist Theo） looking for extraterrestrial life in far away star systems。Robbie isn’t coping well at school and， in an effort to avoid prescription medications， Theo starts homeschooling him and enrols him on some experimental neuro-feedback therapy in a family friend’s lab。 This has unexpected results， both positive and negative， which have radical effects on the small family unit。The novel tackles the eternal question of “why are humans such jerk-faces？” and explores why compassion is a dangerous trait to possess。 A great thought-provoking read， definitely deserving its place on the Booker longlist。 Powers has written a number of critically acclaimed books - I think it’s time for me to read some more of them！Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more

Tasha ，

This would probably be 5 stars for me if I didn’t hold his previous novel Overstory as one of the greatest novels I’ve read。 Bewilderment is inventive， well written， and oof it makes you think about the climate catastrophe。

Laura ，

Astrobiologist Theo Byrne spends his time looking for life on other planets but is most concerned about the welfare of his nine-year-old son， Robin。 Since Theo’s wife and Robin’s mother， Alyssa， died two years ago， Robin has struggled at school and with life in general， and Theo has come under increasing pressure to accept a psychological diagnosis for his son and put him on meditation。 Instead， Theo turns to an experimental treatment being pioneered by one of his colleagues， ‘Decoded Neurofeedb Astrobiologist Theo Byrne spends his time looking for life on other planets but is most concerned about the welfare of his nine-year-old son， Robin。 Since Theo’s wife and Robin’s mother， Alyssa， died two years ago， Robin has struggled at school and with life in general， and Theo has come under increasing pressure to accept a psychological diagnosis for his son and put him on meditation。 Instead， Theo turns to an experimental treatment being pioneered by one of his colleagues， ‘Decoded Neurofeedback’， which guides ‘trainees’ to mimic the brain states of ‘targets’ who have deliberately elicited particular emotions in themselves while their brains were scanned with fMRI。 Because Alyssa participated in an earlier phase of the experiment， Robin can be matched to his mother’s euphoric brain patterns – a process which puts him into a state of beatific calm。 Having been constantly screaming at the pain of living in a dying world， Robin now embraces the beauty of endangered species and becomes a viral news story。 At the same time， Theo witnesses the world beginning to unravel。 Bewilderment， Richard Powers’s thirteenth novel， is uneasily set between our present and a slightly different version of it， giving the book a speculative twist while not allowing us to feel safely distant from the America it describes:That first Tuesday in November， online conspiracy theories， compromised ballots， and bands of armed poll protesters undermined the integrity of the vote in six different battleground states。 The country slid into three days of chaos。 On Saturday， the President declared the entire election invalid。 He ordered a repeat， claiming it would require at least three more months to secure and implement。As readers of Powers’s previous novel， the brilliant The Overstory， will know， Powers has a bleak view of our environmental future， and Bewilderment is， if possible， even darker than its predecessor。 However， it’s also lit up by the stories about other planets， other peoples and other extinctions and rebirths that Theo tells Robin， and by Robin himself， who seems to symbolically switch between two ways of responding to our current predicament: mourning what we have lost or embracing it before it’s gone。 If there’s a fault in this novel， it’s that Powers occasionally gives into the temptation to end paragraphs with a too-easy， too-sentimental line; but in general， he keeps impressively far away from sentimentality for a book about a ‘special’ child。 A beautiful， if discomforting read。 4。5 stars。I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review。 。。。more

Chelsea Bruning ，

“I felt a craving for current events。 … I pushed back against the informational DTs”。 Well， that feels relevant。 “Bewilderment” cut deep in ways I did not expect。 My heart literally felt like it swelled when the main character talked about his son， the revolving door of diagnoses， and how we are all on “the spectrum”。 The nuances of the relationship between a parent and special-needs child are something out of this world， but I think the author captured them perfectly。 The nervous anticipation y “I felt a craving for current events。 … I pushed back against the informational DTs”。 Well， that feels relevant。 “Bewilderment” cut deep in ways I did not expect。 My heart literally felt like it swelled when the main character talked about his son， the revolving door of diagnoses， and how we are all on “the spectrum”。 The nuances of the relationship between a parent and special-needs child are something out of this world， but I think the author captured them perfectly。 The nervous anticipation you feel when you know your child is on the brink of a meltdown; the guarded joy when you watch them improve with therapy; the heart-sinking feeling when things slide backward。 It was a deeply personal story。 There was a bit more political flavor that what I enjoy， but that didn’t change my opinion of the book。 Masochist that I am， I love having my heart broken by a novel。 Powers cut it clean in two。 。。。more

Lily ，

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review*Where do I begin？ 'Bewilderment' was a beautiful book - moving， transformative in its prose， and deeply luminous。 After finishing I had to take a week to process what I had read before even beginning to sit down and write my thoughts。 I still don't think this review will do the book justice。 Simply put I have found my favourite book of 2021。 Unsurprisingly 'Bewilderment' has been longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021。 *Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review*Where do I begin？ 'Bewilderment' was a beautiful book - moving， transformative in its prose， and deeply luminous。 After finishing I had to take a week to process what I had read before even beginning to sit down and write my thoughts。 I still don't think this review will do the book justice。 Simply put I have found my favourite book of 2021。 Unsurprisingly 'Bewilderment' has been longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021。 'Bewilderment' follows a father and son in America as they deal with the grief of loosing their wife/mother respectively。 I'm not going to lie， I went into this with reservations。 Due to the subject of the novel I was concerned that I might find it difficult to resonate with， but I was drawn in and fell in love with the characters。 The novel deals with some heavy subject matters and I would recommend you check the trigger warnings。 There is a heavy focus on dealing with mental illness， and what this looks like in children， alongside a rather stark image of global warming coupled with political unrest。 Woven within the text are beautiful extracts of the Theo and his son Robin visiting fictional planets。 Powers' prose is precise， conveying great beauty for both the natural world and human emotion， whilst equally shining light on our darker temperaments。 There is a real examination of modern human relationships with the environment and animals， often not showing humans in a great light。 In addition to this the human brain and emotions are studied， introducing a philosophical aspect to the story。 Yet there remains a thread of humour and optimism throughout the novel， striking a really good balance and preventing the novel from becoming all doom and gloom。 The lyrical descriptions of the fictional planets played a strong role in this and added a unique spin to the story line。I went into this story with no idea of where it would go and so I don't want to delve too deeply。 There are， I'm sure， many clever meanings that I missed。 All I can say is that this novel has left a lasting mark on my heart and the drive to do more。 Bewilderment deserves its place on the Booker Prize 2021 longlist and I would be surprised if it doesn't make its way to the shortlist。 Powers is truly masterful and I plan to read all of his previous work。 。。。more

Katie ，

I really have to go back and read more of Richard Powers' backlog。 His characters are complex and well-written and his writing especially shines when describing nature。 I loved The Overstory and really enjoyed Bewilderment， though the are rather different books。 I loved the father son relationship in this story。 I loved Theo's dedication and patience with Robin， even during his outbursts。 Robin is a complex kid with a fascination for other planets and a dedication to endangered species that he i I really have to go back and read more of Richard Powers' backlog。 His characters are complex and well-written and his writing especially shines when describing nature。 I loved The Overstory and really enjoyed Bewilderment， though the are rather different books。 I loved the father son relationship in this story。 I loved Theo's dedication and patience with Robin， even during his outbursts。 Robin is a complex kid with a fascination for other planets and a dedication to endangered species that he inherited from his （now dead） mother。 Because of his behavioral problems and Theo's reluctance to put him on psychoactive drugs， Robin is enrolled in a trial of a new kind of bio feedback。This is ultimately about grief， and what can possibly （maybe？） be done to help alleviate some of the hurt。 It is about a love of nature and science and how those things tie us all together。 It is beautifully written。 I can't wait to read more of his work。 。。。more

Ellen ，

Just finished this amazing book。 All I can say is WOW。

Agirlandabook85 ，

Theo an astrobiologist searching for life on other planets and the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old。 His son Robin is desperately seeking an explanation for a world that is clearly in love with its own destruction？ His answer is to take the boy to other planets， whilst fostering his son's desperate campaign to help save this one。This is my second read from the Booker Prize Longlist and it did nothing to quell my fears that such books might be above my level of intelligence！ In fact Theo an astrobiologist searching for life on other planets and the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old。 His son Robin is desperately seeking an explanation for a world that is clearly in love with its own destruction？ His answer is to take the boy to other planets， whilst fostering his son's desperate campaign to help save this one。This is my second read from the Booker Prize Longlist and it did nothing to quell my fears that such books might be above my level of intelligence！ In fact I would go so far as to say this might be the most complex and intelligent book I have ever read。 During and immediately upon finishing I was confused， bombarded with information and not all of it at first glance appeared to connect。 I knew I had enjoyed so much of it but I was painfully aware that enjoyment was based only at a superficial level and there was so much I hadn’t appreciated or understood。 Ironically， I was one of those oblivious sleepwalkers Robin was fighting so hard to make take notice！ Then， over the weekend something amazing started to happen， connections started to form， realisations materialised and the fog of confusion has started to slowly dissolve。Now with the benefit of distance away from the complex detail I see this for what it is…a call to arms by Powers。 It is an eloquent rant of what he believes is wrong with this world and is urging the reader to wake up and see the beauty of world through his eyes and protect it。 What Powers attempts to cover is ambitiously impressive in scope， attempting to describe it to my husband had me stumbling and yet somehow he managed to package it all up in a story about a father and son。 A tender and emotional story at that， their evolving relationship was easily my favourite part。 This is a book that makes you think， question and reevaluate the world we live in and one I am still processing， no doubt if I was to write this again in a few days or weeks my understanding may have changed again。 。。。more

Manish Sain ，

Like The Overstory， Bewilderment forces you to think of the world that is outside your family and friends。 It makes you think how insignificant and small we are， a species that shouldn't have been。 In the larger scheme of things， we don't have a role to play， yet the arrogance。Through a child struggling with mental health issues and a father trying to do the best according his knowledge， you learn it doesn't matter after all。 Or it matters all the more。 It would definitely give science enthusias Like The Overstory， Bewilderment forces you to think of the world that is outside your family and friends。 It makes you think how insignificant and small we are， a species that shouldn't have been。 In the larger scheme of things， we don't have a role to play， yet the arrogance。Through a child struggling with mental health issues and a father trying to do the best according his knowledge， you learn it doesn't matter after all。 Or it matters all the more。 It would definitely give science enthusiasts a lot to Google and add several classics to the reading lists of sci-fi fans， for the layman just sway with the emotions。 They are innumerable。 。。。more

Emily Gosse ，

I adore this book。 It is a beautiful exploration into what it means to be a human on the planet right now。

Rebecca Sims ，

This is a book that I found quite complex， it has the astronomy， ecological and neuroscience elements and also the familial dynamics of a single father and his relationship with his son who has difficulties in some areas of his life。 I warmed to the pair and enjoyed their relationship but I found the scientific elements of the narrative a little tiresome at times。 The book is beautifully written。Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for gifting this arc in exchange for an honest rev This is a book that I found quite complex， it has the astronomy， ecological and neuroscience elements and also the familial dynamics of a single father and his relationship with his son who has difficulties in some areas of his life。 I warmed to the pair and enjoyed their relationship but I found the scientific elements of the narrative a little tiresome at times。 The book is beautifully written。Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for gifting this arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Spadge Nunn ，

“God only knew what the eleven-year-old might confess to me about the things I was right now doing wrong。 But he’d survived his mother’s death。 I figured he’d survive my best intentions。”Bewilderment is the story of Theo， an astrobiologist raising his 11 year old son， Robin （with a complex undiagnosed autism）， as a new widow。 Robin’s moods and actions become more unpredictable after his mother‘s death。 And Theo sees many similarities with his work and his parenting: “They share a lot， astronomy “God only knew what the eleven-year-old might confess to me about the things I was right now doing wrong。 But he’d survived his mother’s death。 I figured he’d survive my best intentions。”Bewilderment is the story of Theo， an astrobiologist raising his 11 year old son， Robin （with a complex undiagnosed autism）， as a new widow。 Robin’s moods and actions become more unpredictable after his mother‘s death。 And Theo sees many similarities with his work and his parenting: “They share a lot， astronomy and childhood。 Both are voyages across huge distances。 Both search for facts beyond their grasp。 Both theorise wildly and let possibilities multiply without limits。 Both are humbled every few weeks。 Both operate out of ignorance。 Both are mystified by time。 Both are forever starting out。”When Theo wants to avoid medicating his frustrated and grieving son， he turns to his wife’s former friend to try out a drug-free scientific approach instead， training his son’s brain to soothe itself from anger and pain。 It is very interesting to read and really makes you think about how wonderful the mind can be。 It’s quite a haunting book in that way。 The story has fascinating insights into the human mind， grief， existence in general and into potential existence on other planets too。 Favourite quote: ‘Nobody’s perfect， she liked to say。 But， man， we all fall short so beautifully。’I’ve demoted a star because I didn’t enjoy it as much as The Overstory， it was a tough one for Powers to follow。Bewilderment will be available from the 21st of September 2021， thank you to NetGalley for the arc。 。。。more

Linda ，

For me， the best books are the hardest to review。 I adore the 9-year-old boy at the heart of this story and the relationship between him and his dad。 The amount of facts integrated into the novel is amazing， particularly concerning the rapid changes in our natural world and the work of astrobiologists in space exploration。 Throw in an excellent bit of science fiction bedtime storytelling and a helping of current political events and this book is destined for awards。Thanks to NetGalley and Pengui For me， the best books are the hardest to review。 I adore the 9-year-old boy at the heart of this story and the relationship between him and his dad。 The amount of facts integrated into the novel is amazing， particularly concerning the rapid changes in our natural world and the work of astrobiologists in space exploration。 Throw in an excellent bit of science fiction bedtime storytelling and a helping of current political events and this book is destined for awards。Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/Random House for the ARC to read and review。 。。。more

David Tierney ，

Powers' shows how to marry science with nature， allowing for a grander view of the world。 His writing reminds me of contemplative moments， when you stop to stare at something as unassuming as a blade of grass and find so much depth in its appearance and function。 It does falter for me in it's intermittent rigid jabs at president resembling Trump， but that is far outweighed by how it excels。 Powers' shows how to marry science with nature， allowing for a grander view of the world。 His writing reminds me of contemplative moments， when you stop to stare at something as unassuming as a blade of grass and find so much depth in its appearance and function。 It does falter for me in it's intermittent rigid jabs at president resembling Trump， but that is far outweighed by how it excels。 。。。more

Mr Rick Forncett ，

A fascinating story about an astrobiologist whose work involves searching for exoplanets outside our solar system that could support life。 He is also a widower looking after his intelligent but troubled son。 In order to try to improve his son's condition he is enrolled on an experimental course of decoded neuro-feedback therapy as an alternative to drug treatment。 I found the book both riveting and thought provoking and a very enjoyable read。 A fascinating story about an astrobiologist whose work involves searching for exoplanets outside our solar system that could support life。 He is also a widower looking after his intelligent but troubled son。 In order to try to improve his son's condition he is enrolled on an experimental course of decoded neuro-feedback therapy as an alternative to drug treatment。 I found the book both riveting and thought provoking and a very enjoyable read。 。。。more

LindaJ^ ，

I "won" this Advanced Reading Copy in a Goodreads Giveaway and amazingly it arrived in the mail in about a week， which was two weeks before its publication and one week before the announcement of the 2021 Booker Prize shortlist。 I had pre-ordered this book when it was first announced because I it was a Richard Powers book。 The first book by Powers I read was Orfeo - probably because it was on the longlist for many book awards in 2014 - and I loved it。 I started buying his earlier books （and have I "won" this Advanced Reading Copy in a Goodreads Giveaway and amazingly it arrived in the mail in about a week， which was two weeks before its publication and one week before the announcement of the 2021 Booker Prize shortlist。 I had pre-ordered this book when it was first announced because I it was a Richard Powers book。 The first book by Powers I read was Orfeo - probably because it was on the longlist for many book awards in 2014 - and I loved it。 I started buying his earlier books （and have most of them in hand） and his since published ones。 Since then I've read five more， with this one being the sixth that I've read。 Powers must be a genius to be able to write about complex science and music the way he does and to develop such amazing characters。 This book is focused on science but a bit of music seeps in。 It is also political。 And， it is heartbreaking。Powers tells readers in a note at the beginning of the book that Flowers for Algernon was a childhood favorite of his and that when he read about a new therapeutic technique called decoded neurofeedback， he thought: "Suppose researchers perfected an empathy machine that could greatly magnify emotional intelligence？ What might we humans learn to become。" So there you have it， Powers tells what he is going to do。 If， like me， you too loved Flowers for Algernon and remember it still， then you have an inkling of what's to come。 And it is not disguised - Theo and Robin Byrne read the book （in audio） on a long car ride in the early pages of this book and refer to it throughout the book。Alyssa （Aly） Byrne died in a car crash about a year before the beginning of the book， leaving Theo to raise Robin or Robbie， their special needs child， on his own。 It isn't easy but Theo， an astrobiologist， is working hard to keep Robbie from having to take medication to keep him from melting down。 After Robbie， at age 9， breaks the nose of his best friend after the friend told Robbie that his mother killed herself， Theo goes to another scientist at his university （Currier）， who was doing research on the use of neurofeedback to control behavior， for help。 Currier adds Robbie to the research and it helps。 But then Robbie relapses。 Currier suggests that he could try using Aly's brain scan done while she was imagining something that put her into ecstasy。 Theo agrees and the results are amazing。 But， of course， the story does not end there。 Interwoven with this Algernon story are major threads representing （1） the search for life on other planets， （2） the quickening extinction of animal， insect， bird， and plant species， （3） climate change， and （4） the political divide in the US。 This is a very intense book - the tension leaps from the page。 I read this in under 4 hours。 I was 20 pages in last night， but today read straight through。 It was gripping。 I'm not sure about the ending - the last 3 pages of the book。 I'm going to have to think about that for awhile。 This was the last book I needed to read on the 2021 Booker longlist。 I was sure this would be my favorite and it was。 I hope it makes the shortlist， to be announced next week。 。。。more

Aloka - allys_bookshelf ，

Bewilderment - Richard Powers Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the earc‘Watching medicine fail my child， I developed a crackpot theory: Life is something we need to stop correcting。 My boy was a pocket universe I could never hope to fathom。 Every one of us is an experiment， and we don’t even know what the experiment is testing。’Bringing alive the magic that are special children combined with a beautiful but fumbling relationship between a father and son who have lost the wife/mot Bewilderment - Richard Powers Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the earc‘Watching medicine fail my child， I developed a crackpot theory: Life is something we need to stop correcting。 My boy was a pocket universe I could never hope to fathom。 Every one of us is an experiment， and we don’t even know what the experiment is testing。’Bringing alive the magic that are special children combined with a beautiful but fumbling relationship between a father and son who have lost the wife/mother， Richard Powers weaves a current and important tale of climate change， parenting， and asks the questions of who are the ones who need a diagnosis or medication。 Is it theo’s son who is sensitive and sees it all， who worries about the real problem or is it the rest of us who ignore what is out there and what is coming and ridicule the ones who shove the truth in our face。 Marrying the issue of climate change through the eyes of a parent parenting a special child was just it for me。 Only through the eyes of an extra sensitive child can we see the problems of the world with complete clarity and then laugh and cry with humanity。 But。。I didn’t love all of this book。 I didn’t love the writing as much as the others after reading Cusk， Arudpragasam and Galgut - one of a kind， tight， out of the world writing - from the longlist， this wasn’t as comparable， but then it did have a compelling story。 I also felt the story was going in too many different directions and covered a lot and while I loved the father-son parts and Powers did make some important points about climate change some of the technological bits went way above my head。 It was a science fiction novel after all a genre I am not very familiar with I think。 But on the whole this one is a must read。 。。。more

Margaret McCulloch-Keeble ，

Bewilderment is an entirely appropriate title。 When I was a quarter in I was almost on the point of giving up。 The writing was absolutely beautiful。 descriptive， evocative but there wasn't a story as far as I could tell。 Just a lovely diary really。 Then slowly a story emerged and I was drawn in。 I got a grasp of certain threads and wondered where it would all end。 One or two of those threads were just left dangling- which I found frustrating。 Some coiled themselves into a knot。 Some could be fol Bewilderment is an entirely appropriate title。 When I was a quarter in I was almost on the point of giving up。 The writing was absolutely beautiful。 descriptive， evocative but there wasn't a story as far as I could tell。 Just a lovely diary really。 Then slowly a story emerged and I was drawn in。 I got a grasp of certain threads and wondered where it would all end。 One or two of those threads were just left dangling- which I found frustrating。 Some coiled themselves into a knot。 Some could be followed。 I was left with the feeling the author had all sorts of ideas but ran out of steam so just put teasers here and there， then moved on。 It's quite complicated here and there， technical stuff， scientific， astrobiological stuff that sometimes left me feeling as thick as a brick。 I assume it's set in a near future， but after the successes in the main plot it's quite a bleak dystopian scenario。 By turns beautiful， rambling， tragic， bewildering。 。。。more

karen ，

heart and brain too overloaded by this right now。 will review when i'm down to a simmer。 heart and brain too overloaded by this right now。 will review when i'm down to a simmer。 。。。more

Emily May ，

I wanted to tell the man that life itself is a spectrum disorder， where each of us vibrated at some unique frequency in the continuous rainbow。 I was not nearly as enamoured by this super-hyped book as I thought I might be， and I think I can pin it down to three main reasons。1） A novel-length Neruda poem is not really my thing。Don't get me wrong， I've gotten tingles like everyone else when I see a quote like: I love you as certain dark things are to be loved， in secret， between the shadow a I wanted to tell the man that life itself is a spectrum disorder， where each of us vibrated at some unique frequency in the continuous rainbow。 I was not nearly as enamoured by this super-hyped book as I thought I might be， and I think I can pin it down to three main reasons。1） A novel-length Neruda poem is not really my thing。Don't get me wrong， I've gotten tingles like everyone else when I see a quote like: I love you as certain dark things are to be loved， in secret， between the shadow and the soul。 I have no idea what that means but I like it。 The narrator mentions and quotes Neruda in the book， and I got the impression he inspired quite a bit of the style。 There are a lot of sentences that straddle the line between poetic and cringy， and maybe it's my mood， but I found them falling more often into the latter category。 It's a very introspective novel that gets way too dreamy and star-gazey （add it to the dictionary for me） for my liking。2） I read Migrations last year and liked it a LOT more。This is a personal thing that obviously won't apply to a lot of people。 I picked this book up because the mysterious synopsis and the reviews made me think this could be on the same level as the other near-future ecological novel I read last year。 In fact， there are a number of similarities。 Both are set in a future that may very well be just around the corner， both deal with grief and loss， and both are rooted in nature and wildlife。 But where I found Migrations taut， compelling and moving， I found this one overwritten and a bit boring， honestly。 I thought the obvious stand-ins for Trump （unnamed American president who denies election results and fuels bigotry） and Greta Thunberg （Inga Alder-- teen girl on the autism spectrum who stands up to world leaders about climate issues） were a bit silly， and the parroting of rudimentary philosophy from Robin was uninteresting。 Also， Migrations never felt preachy; this one did。3） I really disliked the uncriticised anti-medicine， anti-diagnosis and， frankly， anti-science approach this book seems to take。The narrator-- and， seemingly， the book itself --seems to push Big Pharma conspiracy theories。 Theo repeatedly ignores the medical advice of doctors regarding his son， is horrified at the notion of "psychoactive drugs" which he sneers at in the same sanctimonious way that some parents gasp Give my child vaccines with mercury in them？ （view spoiler）[It's a tiny amount of ethyl mercury that our bodies are well-equipped to break down。 （hide spoiler）]， and makes the following statement: "No doctor can diagnose my son better than I can。" Oh， boy。 I don't have a sigh big enough。Now， look。 I know that a character saying or doing something is not necessarily the author condoning it， and I would love to be wrong about this， but I really felt the whole book was selling these ideas。 And it's。。。 well， a bit concerning。And on the subject of diagnosis and drugs， I personally think the former is extremely important and the latter sometimes necessary。 It's not an easy decision to start psychoactive drugs， especially when the recipient is a young child， but I know from experience that they can be the difference between getting up and sleeping your life away， the difference between being able to look after yourself and sitting in your own filth， and， sometimes， the difference between keeping going and giving up on life。 It's not always the right answer， for sure， but sometimes it is， and the way the narrator sneers at drugs and doctors irritated me。 And as someone who went a long time without a diagnosis， I know that getting one can be a wonderful key to understanding yourself and others。If anyone thinks I interpreted this wrong， then I would genuinely like to hear from you in the comments。 I feel quite blindsided that a book about science， space and nature would contain this narrative， so I'd be very happy to be wrong。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bewilderment

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bewilderment&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bewilderment&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0