Bewilderment by Richard Powers

This is a story of a father and his neurodivergent son battling the harm we are doing our planet. The father, Theo Byrne, is a university astrobiologist, programming simulations of life on extrasolar planets, though his job takes second place to caring for Robin, his son. Robin is mourning the death of his mother, Alys, an environmental activist, in a car crash. He is intensely focused on the natural world, and prone to violent rages when thwarted or challenged. Bullied at school, he narrowly avoids expulsion after breaking the cheekbone of another boy by hitting him with his Thermos. The knife-edge of Robin’s moods is rendered with remarkable believability and sensitivity, and the love between son and father has an emotional truth and vividness that wrings the heart. But the focus is so tightly on these two, while the larger tragedy of a world increasingly poisoned and abused is so unremittingly pushed home. It is the gift that Powers has, of giving us the big picture while focusing on the narrowly told story. This is both beautiful and sad.