I have fewer than 50 pages left in Richard Powers’ Bewildermentt, which is breaking my heart in profound and complex ways. The human and natural worlds are troubled and broken–deeply wounded and traumatized–and yet both are the site of great joy. Powers’ novel somehow captures all these emotions–the whole human gamut, from ecstasy to rage–while expressing the cosmic loneliness of these almost-end times.
Does it seem extreme to call these days apocalyptic? In some ways, Powers’ book is dystopian: he takes the political realities of the present moment–including climate denialism, anti-science conspiracy theories, and a xenophobic slide toward authoritarianism–and exaggerates them only slightly, which makes their impact that much more devastating. The world of Powers’ novel isn’t exactly the present moment, but it certainly could be.
Robin, the child protagonist who feels too much, has an empathetic connection with endangered creatures great and small. Robin embodies the limited emotional options for those of us living with open-eyes in an environmentally devastated world. Do we rage against the dying of the light as species disappear and the planet warms? Or do we ecstatically embrace the wondrous creatures who somehow, miraculously remain, endangered but still surviving (for now)?
If you knew the planet was dying, would you rage or grieve or make the most of your remaining time…or would you oscillate among all three? If you chose the latter, would that make you crazy and disturbed–a person in need of treatment–or one of the only humans on the planet who is clear-eyed and sane?
Nov 27, 2021 at 2:30 pm
A most thought-provoking post. One that makes me want to read (yet be afraid to read) Bewilderment. Yes, we have to live with these emotional and intellectual ambiguities and conflicts.
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Nov 28, 2021 at 8:08 am
It’s a beautiful and powerful book. The characters will stay with me.
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Nov 27, 2021 at 4:51 pm
My favorite book of the year so far. Brilliant. Troubling, but extrordinary.
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Nov 28, 2021 at 8:08 am
I finished it last night. It broke my heart, beautifully.
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Nov 27, 2021 at 5:26 pm
One does what they can with what they have. I think it’s difficult to isolate one specific action and dwell on it. We are all motivated differently at different times to do different things. The point is, never give up and never quit. 😀
On Sat, Nov 27, 2021, 10:30 AM Hoarded Ordinaries wrote:
> Lorianne posted: ” I have fewer than 50 pages left in Richard Powers’ > Bewildermentt, which is breaking my heart in profound and complex ways. The > human and natural worlds are troubled and broken–deeply wounded and > traumatized–and yet both are the site of great joy.” >
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Nov 28, 2021 at 8:12 am
In a weird way, the book reminded me of “The Relive Box.” The narrator lost his wife in a car crash, and his son is emotionally troubled. The son receives neuro-feedback from an artificial intelligence machine that had captured the brain waves of his deceased mother in an attempt to teach him to be more emotionally resilient.
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Nov 30, 2021 at 11:06 pm
Personally, I have chosen to revel in Nature’s beauty while photographing it, but donate almost solely to organizations like Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, etc., etc.
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