Bewilderment
A near-future novel about a father and son amid environmental degradation.
Richard Powers’s thirteenth novel, *Bewilderment*, appeared on September 21, 2021, from W. W. Norton & Company. It was his first book after winning the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for *The Overstory*, and it was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.
Set in a near future marked by environmental collapse, the story centers on Theo Byrne, a widowed astrobiologist, and his nine-year-old son Robin, who has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Rather than put Robin on psychoactive drugs, Theo tries an experimental neurofeedback therapy. Powers has said the novel draws on influences including Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Evan Dara, Don DeLillo, and Lauren Groff, and that he named the boy after Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Critics gave mixed responses. *Kirkus Reviews* praised it as a “touching novel” offering “uncommon sympathy and intelligence.” Dwight Garner of *The New York Times* called it a book about “ecological salvation” with “nubbly sentimentality,” but found it “so meek, saccharine and overweening in its piety about nature that even a teaspoon of it numbs the mind.” *The Guardian* described it as a “tender sci-fi novel-cum-family romance.” *Publishers Weekly* compared it to *Flowers for Algernon*, noting that while the planetary descriptions “grow a bit repetitive,” the story becomes “something sublime” and shows “the work of a master.” Claire Messud, writing for *Harper’s Magazine*, criticized the plot and themes as too familiar to Powers’ earlier work, calling the character of Alyssa a “cipher” and Theo’s personal history “thin as paper,” though she found the father-son bond “denser” and Robin’s passion for nature “urgent.”
The novel was also longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction and the Aspen Words Literary Prize. Oprah Winfrey selected it for Oprah’s Book Club on September 28, 2021. In January 2022, *Variety* reported that Black Bear Pictures and Plan B Entertainment had optioned the film rights after a competitive bidding process.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Richard Powers
- Audio Read By
- Edoardo Ballerini
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- W. W. Norton & Company
- Pub Date
- September 21, 2021
- Media Type
- Print (hardcover)
- Pages
- 288
- Isbn
- 978-0-393-88114-1
- Oclc
- 1240265353
- Dewey
- 813/.54
- Congress
- PS3566.O92 B49 2021
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The novel is set in the near future amid the environmental degradation of the planet. It follows widowed astrobiologist Theo Byrne and his volatile nine-year-old son Robin, who is diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, obsessive–compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Theo resists psychoactive medication for Robin, turning instead to an experimental neurofeedback therapy in order to help his son. In an interview for the Booker Prize, Powers said, 'The book has its roots in two different worlds. It is, in part, a novel about the anxiety of family life on a damaged planet, and for that, I'm indebted to writers as varied as Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Evan Dara, Don Delillo, and Lauren Groff.' Powers has said that he named the character of Robin after Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Reader's Guide
Bewilderment received mixed to positive reviews. Kirkus Reviews, in its starred review, called it a 'touching novel that offers a vital message with uncommon sympathy and intelligence.' Dwight Garner of The New York Times characterized it as a book about 'ecological salvation' with a 'nubbly sentimentality' but said it 'is so meek, saccharine and overweening in its piety about nature that even a teaspoon of it numbs the mind.' A more positive review by The Guardian called it a 'tender sci-fi novel-cum-family romance.' Publishers Weekly compared the novel to Flowers for Algernon and wrote, 'The planetary descriptions grow a bit repetitive and don't gain narrative traction, but in the end, Powers transforms the wrenching story into something sublime. Though it's not his masterpiece, it shows the work of a master.' Writing for Harper's Magazine, novelist Claire Messud felt the novel's plot and themes were too familiar to Powers' earlier works, and criticized the characterization. The novel was shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize, longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction and Aspen Words Literary Prize, and selected by Oprah Winfrey as part of Oprah's Book Club on September 28, 2021. In January 2021, Variety reported that Black Bear Pictures and Plan B Entertainment acquired the feature film rights after a competitive bidding process.
Did You Know?
- The novel is Powers' first since winning the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Overstory.
- Powers named the character Robin after Robin Wall Kimmerer.
- Film rights were optioned in January 2022, not acquired.
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