Richard Powers

Intrigued by an Algerian woman whose blissful demeanor contrasts with the horrific environment of her home country, Chicago teacher Russell Stone brings her to the attention of others who become equally entranced. By the National Book Award-winning author of The Echo Maker. 75,000 first printing.

An Enhancement

Generosity

Daryl Houston

I really want to like Powers, but just about every book winds up falling flat for me. As far as I recall, The Time of our Singing is the only one (of the half dozen or so that I've read) that really knocked my socks off, and the rest have been sort of a bad mashup of mediocre genre fiction and attempted (failed) literary fiction -- and have disappointed at both ends. 

Generosity read to me like something written by an alien who had access to Earth's culture, science, technology, and social interactions only via a few outdated television programs. There's not an authentic feeling moment in the book. I can forgive so-so character development if there's interesting science fiction. I can forgive so-so science fiction and character development if the style is great (I can forgive almost anything if the style is great or the approach novel). But this book is at the very best so-so on all counts.

Powers tries to blend science writing with literary fiction and happens to do neither particularly well. I wish he'd commit to one or the other and do it well. The subtitle of the book was, for me, a misnomer. Had it been named as I ultimately received it (Generosity: A Disappointment), I might have saved myself some frustration.

Generosity An Enhancement

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