BEWILDERMENT by Richard Powers

Theo is an astrobiologist whose 9-year-old son Robin is prone to outbursts and may be on the autism spectrum.  Robin’s behavior has deteriorated since his mother died in a car accident, and Theo wants to avoid medicating him if at all possible.  When Robin injures a classmate by throwing a metal bottle at him, the only other option seems to be a type of neurofeedback in which Robin will try to calm himself by emulating his mother’s brain patterns, which were recorded prior to her death.  This therapy is highly successful, but other issues arise, as the U.S. government has become extremely right-wing; funding for Theo’s work projects as well as Robin’s treatment is in jeopardy.  More importantly, civilization is regressing, and humanity is on a path to destroying all forms of life.  This storyline is all well and good, although Theo, in my opinion, is an overly indulgent father to a petulant child.  However, this novel is also largely about the withering of Planet Earth, due to climate change.  The author is preaching to the choir here, as I would wager that global warming deniers are not reading this book.  I don’t mind being reminded that we need to be better custodians of our beautiful planet, but the author also sprinkles the narrative with scenarios of how life may have evolved elsewhere in the universe.  I found the first few of these simulations intriguing, but they soon became a frequent and annoying interruption.