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A review by susannaobrien
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Given The Overstory is my favourite book, I went in with high expectations and left feeling a little disappointed. I found the focus on space and descriptions of plants harder to connect with and less engaging than the forests of The Overstory.
But, if I try not to compare the two, Bewilderment is still a beautifully written book which gives you a lot to think about.
I thought the theme of kinship was well explored. There's the difficulties of parenthood in Theo and Robin's relationship, particularly without the continued advice of Alyssa. Theo is so aware of the consequences of potential mistakes, even ones he wouldn't know are mistakes until later which reminded me of us reckoning with the discovered impact of industrialisation on climate change. Theo also feels anxious about Robin all the time but is determined to appreciate all of his strengths (an important perspective for neurodivergent representation). Robin is therefore treated with respect and (mostly) honesty, not always afforded to children his age, and although he deals with so much eco anxiety, he finds it worse to be lied to. There's a less-than-subtle reference to Greta Thunberg but I did appreciate the focus on the need to listen to young people.
There's a sense in the book that no matter how close you are to someone, you still don't know them completely, but it's the curiosity and sense of exploration that is worth pursuing: much like science's pursuit of solutions to the climate crisis and knowledge about our universe.
Then there's the overwhelming sense of kinship with the planet, its "sentient beings" and potiential life in the wider universe. This is where you can see Richard Powers continued exploration of themes from The Overstory. It's this kinship that evokes a sense of responsibility in Robin, who is frustrated that the world doesn't seem to be facing up to the urgency of the problem. This is contrasted throughout with western, capitalist political attitudes that centre humans and the Earth as the most advanced life forms whose economic growth shouldn't be threatened with something like space exploration, which they see as a waste of resources. The parallels to Trump and those who doubt science and support conspiracy theories was again, not particularly subtle, but helped root the story's message in reality.
I thought the themes of making progress emotionally but also scientifically were interesting. The book provoked a lot of concern in me, because of the ease at which things seemed to go backwards in the story. This again has parallels to the real scepticism and blocking we've seen of climate justice, and reminds us that small changes to laws and attitudes can snowball into disasters without us even realising.
The ending was sad but didn't hit me as I might have expected in the moment. Not sure what that says. On further reflection, I can see the "inevitability" that Powers describes feeling about this ending.
I also think a few of the planet descriptions could have been edited as although I enjoyed them, they sometimes distracted from the story.
I can't quite put my finger on it, but I felt tense around the conversation on medication vs therapy vs support for neurodivergent children. I'm not sure Powers reaches a strong conclusion one way or the other, but there are moments which I think could strike a bad tone amongst the neurodivergent community.
Overall, this book ties a lot of threads together, from the ethics of raising children when the world seems to be on fire, to the empathy towards all beings and the resilience needed to keep trying to change things, to how figuring out our relationship to other life forms helps us learn so much about ourselves. I could imagine going back to it again.
But, if I try not to compare the two, Bewilderment is still a beautifully written book which gives you a lot to think about.
I thought the theme of kinship was well explored. There's the difficulties of parenthood in Theo and Robin's relationship, particularly without the continued advice of Alyssa. Theo is so aware of the consequences of potential mistakes, even ones he wouldn't know are mistakes until later which reminded me of us reckoning with the discovered impact of industrialisation on climate change. Theo also feels anxious about Robin all the time but is determined to appreciate all of his strengths (an important perspective for neurodivergent representation). Robin is therefore treated with respect and (mostly) honesty, not always afforded to children his age, and although he deals with so much eco anxiety, he finds it worse to be lied to. There's a less-than-subtle reference to Greta Thunberg but I did appreciate the focus on the need to listen to young people.
There's a sense in the book that no matter how close you are to someone, you still don't know them completely, but it's the curiosity and sense of exploration that is worth pursuing: much like science's pursuit of solutions to the climate crisis and knowledge about our universe.
Then there's the overwhelming sense of kinship with the planet, its "sentient beings" and potiential life in the wider universe. This is where you can see Richard Powers continued exploration of themes from The Overstory. It's this kinship that evokes a sense of responsibility in Robin, who is frustrated that the world doesn't seem to be facing up to the urgency of the problem. This is contrasted throughout with western, capitalist political attitudes that centre humans and the Earth as the most advanced life forms whose economic growth shouldn't be threatened with something like space exploration, which they see as a waste of resources. The parallels to Trump and those who doubt science and support conspiracy theories was again, not particularly subtle, but helped root the story's message in reality.
I thought the themes of making progress emotionally but also scientifically were interesting. The book provoked a lot of concern in me, because of the ease at which things seemed to go backwards in the story. This again has parallels to the real scepticism and blocking we've seen of climate justice, and reminds us that small changes to laws and attitudes can snowball into disasters without us even realising.
The ending was sad but didn't hit me as I might have expected in the moment. Not sure what that says. On further reflection, I can see the "inevitability" that Powers describes feeling about this ending.
I also think a few of the planet descriptions could have been edited as although I enjoyed them, they sometimes distracted from the story.
I can't quite put my finger on it, but I felt tense around the conversation on medication vs therapy vs support for neurodivergent children. I'm not sure Powers reaches a strong conclusion one way or the other, but there are moments which I think could strike a bad tone amongst the neurodivergent community.
Overall, this book ties a lot of threads together, from the ethics of raising children when the world seems to be on fire, to the empathy towards all beings and the resilience needed to keep trying to change things, to how figuring out our relationship to other life forms helps us learn so much about ourselves. I could imagine going back to it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism