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A review by nataliebootlah
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Seemingly unlike the masses, I didn’t love this one. My appreciation for it may have been affected by the dental work I was getting while listening to the audiobook, but who knows?
Theo and Robin are an interesting father-son duo. Robin is obsessed with animals, the environment, and doing what a nine-year-old can to save the world. He is also showing distressing symptoms of behavioral problems. He has outbursts, trouble reigning in his anger, and really just misses his mother.
At the heart of the novel is Theo. He loves his son and will do anything to keep safe, happy, and healthy—except medicate him.
So the story goes of Theo and Robin: their shared love for nature and Robin’s mom. The experimental program that helps Robin with science and his late mother’s soul. And the undeniable love between father and son.
It truly was a beautifully written novel, it just wasn’t the one for me.
Theo and Robin are an interesting father-son duo. Robin is obsessed with animals, the environment, and doing what a nine-year-old can to save the world. He is also showing distressing symptoms of behavioral problems. He has outbursts, trouble reigning in his anger, and really just misses his mother.
At the heart of the novel is Theo. He loves his son and will do anything to keep safe, happy, and healthy—except medicate him.
So the story goes of Theo and Robin: their shared love for nature and Robin’s mom. The experimental program that helps Robin with science and his late mother’s soul. And the undeniable love between father and son.
It truly was a beautifully written novel, it just wasn’t the one for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Death of parent