Bewilderment, by Richard Powers

Apparently this was a hugely successful book last year shortlisted for some major awards, but it would have flown completely under my radar if not for a glowing recommendation by a good friend whose taste in books I trust. Even at that, I shied away because the blurb made it sound a tiny bit futuristic and dystopian and, well, we all know where I stand on that. In fact, what might be worse, it is actually set in our present-day, real world, with only a few very slightly heightened details to throw the dangers we live under in high relief (in this novel, the unnamed but extremely Trump-like US president contests the results of a “fraudulent” election loss, and is successful in overturning the election and staying in office — so that’s about how close to reality the novel is).

But this is really a novel about the present world, in all its beauty and with all its flaws, and at the heart of it is the relationship between a father and son. Theo is an astrobiologist who models what life on other planets might be like; Robin is his neurodivergent nine-year-old son who can barely cope with the harsh realities of life in this world.

The novel is beautiful, lyrical, exhilarating … and heartbreaking. I knew this was not going to be the kind of novel that would have a simply happy ending: the reality it explores — how to survive, and raise a child, and be a sensitive and empathetic human in a hideously broken world — is far too complex for that. And yet … I had my difficulties with the ending, and not just because it was heartbreaking. I can’t say more without spoilers, although if anyone else who’s read it wants to defend the ending and say it was the perfect way to close this book, I will gladly discuss it in comments. Definitely, definitely read this book. It’s beautiful and thought-provoking and lovely to read and challenging. But expect to emerge from it a little bit battered. I did.