Bewilderment

What an incredible journey. This will stick with me for a long time.

I'm now re-centered in the universe as my own planet orbiting along with other human planets, each of their inner worlds forever unknowable to me. The running theme of human connection intertwined with cosmic connection works so well for the story and the insight it offers.

As a new father surviving a global pandemic and late-stage capitalism, Theo's position is eerily relatable to my own. Any parent reading this will know all too well the struggle to find the balance between protecting your kids, imparting your wisdom, and letting them gain their own.

The Overstory sparked an urge to learn more about trees and fungus. Now I suppose I'll go brush up on exoplanets and the Webb telescope and hold out hope that our flawed monkey brains are good enough pass through the Great Filter.

“That's the ruling story on our planet. We live suspended between love and ego. Maybe it's different in other galaxies. But I doubt it.”

This book is a beautiful build oscillating between awe and horror, leading into a heart-wrenching crescendo. If you wove together Everything is Illuminated, Flowers for Algernon, and Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities (except with imagined planets), you would get this book. It's very topical, but will clearly transcend; I could see it being taught in schools someday.

Richard powers sometimes just punches me in the face with his ideas and I think he likes it.