Renowned oceanographer Evie Beaulieu discovers her heart’s desire while exploring the wreckage of a WWII naval battle in Micronesia. She envisions dying at sea and becoming a coral reef, leading to a rich afterlife. These themes of transformation and regeneration are central to Richard Powers’s Booker-longlisted novel, Playground, which delves into the exploitation of a Polynesian atoll by Californian investors.
The book weaves together narratives of intelligent alien life, generative AI, and environmental concerns, with characters like Evie, Rafi, and Todd navigating their own paths in a changing world. As Todd, suffering from dementia, hallucinates marine life in his bedroom, the story blurs between time frames and perspectives.
Powers’s lush and complex storytelling creates a world where the sea, with its mysteries and potential, becomes a central character. The novel’s ambiguous ending leaves readers contemplating the unknown future of the characters and the planet itself.
Playground is a mesmerizing exploration, with references to nature and the ocean reminiscent of Emerson and Thoreau. As residents of Makatea vote on the island’s future, facing the effects of climate change and uncertain paths ahead, the novel reaches a poignant and open-ended conclusion, reflecting the ever-changing nature of life and the world around us.
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