Generosity

by Richard Powers

First published 1996

Thassadit Amzwar is a student in failed writer Russell Stone's creative writing class. Nicknamed "Miss Generosity," Thassadit's boundless joy and optimism captivate her classmates. But when a renowned geneticist discovers Thassadit may possess a rare "happiness gene," she becomes the target of a biotech company's quest to engineer human bliss. As the company's charismatic CEO draws Thassadit into his genetic enhancement scheme, Russell must decide whether to protect his student or risk everything to uncover the truth about her condition.

Genres: fiction, science-fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary

Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family

Setting: United States

Period: 21st-century

296 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Content warnings: medical-trauma

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