Bewilderment

"The Overstory" is one of the greatest novels I have ever read and "The Echo Maker", the first novel by Richard Powers that I read, resonated with me a lot as well. "Bewilderment" is closer in scope and in theme and in impact to "Generosity". Both "Bewilderment" and "Generosity" are good novels, but by now I expect brilliant from Richard Powers. Unlike several other readers it is especially the far-away planets and their rules that I find extremely gripping. Powers' powers of imagination are among the greatest in contemporary fiction, and that is where he can really show that. In comparison, I also found the relationship of widower Theo and his possibly autistic son Robin well-written and occasionally heart-breaking, but it didn't seem to showcase Powers' strengths as much. Especially since the other characters remain quite one-dimensional - it may, of course, be intentional that the far-away planets are given more personality than the people who are close by. "Bewilderment" will probably still be one of the best novels to appear this year, which after some consideration I still gave it five stars instead of four, but within Powers' oeuvre it will likely be just a footnote.