Opening Pages of Bewilderment

Zeno Dancanet, Paige Hossetter, Camille Abatjoglou

Richard Powers crafts a beautiful story in Bewilderment telling the experience of a family and their ordeals. Powers parallels the “broken” family dynamic of Theo and Robin as well as Robin’s neurodivergence through presenting a shattered stream of consciousness. Robin suffers from ADHD, OCD, and Asperger’s syndrome, which makes it hard for him to pick up on and process things in his environment. Robins’ disabilities have placed a great deal of pressure on Theo to provide a supportive environment for Robin to grow. Flowing like a river, the scenes in Bewilderment weave together an extensive tapestry illustrating the tragic state of our current world. The brilliant rhetoric Powers employs fluently and concisely narrates a heart-touching story while also providing powerful commentary on contemporary issues. We are excited to continue to read and share our insights from Power’s eloquently created novel.