The astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly
raising his unusual nine-year-old Robin following the death of his wife. Robin is a warm
kind boy who spends hours painting elaborate pictures of endangered animals. He's also about to
be expelled from third grade for smashing his friend in the face. As his son grows more
troubled Theo hopes to keep him off psychoactive drugs. He learns of an experimental
neurofeedback treatment to bolster Robin's emotional control one that involves training the
boy on the recorded patterns of his mother's brain... With its soaring descriptions of the
natural world its tantalizing vision of life beyond and its account of a father and son's
ferocious love Bewilderment marks Richard Powers's most intimate and moving novel. At its
heart lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful imperiled
planet?
