3 out of 5 stars

Following the tragic loss of his wife, Theo Byrne has to bring up their son, Robin alone. He is not a normal child by any means, he has an intensity about him that he channels into whatever project he is interested in at the time. Because he is unconventional, he doesn’t really fit in with school either and when events come to a head, they make the decision to home school.

This will be a tough call as Byre is a promising young astrobiologist who has found a way to search for life on other planets. As a way of distracting his son from the destruction that the human race is wreaking on this planet, he takes Robin to these other worlds where they try to imagine where life is so very different. He is offered treatment for Robin, which involves using psychoactive drugs and the memory patterns of his late mother. It is a risky decision, but he decides to proceed. Robin blooms under the treatment, but neither of them comprehends the implications of a decision Theo makes…

This is the first book by Richard Powers that I have read. Whilst I have heard lots of good things about him, primarily about his book, The Overstory, I had no idea what to expect. Mostly I liked it, he has a way with words that made this an easy book to read, even though you are reading about complex ideas, emotions and thoughts. I thought the plot was pretty good too, but I had a problem with a couple of elements of it that I will not elaborate on as they will involve spoilers. I am definitely going to read The Overstory based on what I have read here.

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