First published 1988
Eddie Hobson watches his father Walt struggle against a mysterious illness that slowly strips away his physical capabilities while leaving his brilliant mind intact. Walt, a former war veteran and devoted family man, refuses to surrender to his condition. Instead, he channels his intellectual energy into elaborate games and puzzles that challenge his children to think beyond conventional boundaries. The family gathers around Walt's bedside, drawn into his complex mental exercises that mirror the strategic thinking of game theory. As Walt's body fails him, his sons and daughters discover how their father's creative intelligence becomes both his weapon against despair and his final gift to them. Eddie must navigate between his father's fierce determination and the painful reality of watching someone he loves fade away. Powers weaves together the intimate dynamics of a family in crisis with larger questions about survival, cooperation, and the resilience of human consciousness when everything else begins to crumble.
Genres: science, literary-fiction, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-dynamics, terminal-illness
Setting: Middle West
368 pages · Paperback · Atlantic Books
Content warnings: terminal-illness