Bewilderment [J0304]

2022 PB in nice clean condition. 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?

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I read this book over the course of two short days but wish I had slowed down a bit to savor the writing. Fathers/sons, loss/grief, nature/astronomy, climate politics, neuroscience, and fascism all make appearances in this short but densely layered book."; "An astrobiologist searching for life as he raises his neurodivergent son alone turns to experimental neurofeedback treatment for answers. Beautifully written, full of heady questions about the meaning of life and the universe that culminates in a wrenching climax. Stunning book."; "I really enjoyed this book, it was very different to what I expected. Although no chapters there were clear sections which made it easy to put down & pick up again. I thought the science & dystopian ideas were very thought provoking."