Playground by Richard Powers: Meta Mantas [Book Review]
I literally bought a house in a leafy neighborhood after reading Powers’ Pulitzer-Prize-winning The Overstory, so deeply did I need to be by trees. After reading the new Richard Powers novel Playground two times, I won’t be buying oceanfront property anytime soon, but this book is pretty mind-blowing (especially the last 20 pages or so).
Quick Take
Richard Powers’ new book, Playground, is a beautiful, layered (and super meta) story about the ocean, technology, friendship, and community from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars)
Available at: Your local independent bookstore
Absolutely beautiful metallic foil book cover
Summary
Similar to The Overstory, Powers' latest novel weaves together multiple points of view and timelines into a beautiful tapestry of technology, friendship, and environmental consciousness.
The heart of the story features two Chicago friends whose early bond, forged through gaming, is tested in a love triangle. One becomes a workaholic tech billionaire facing early-onset dementia just as his groundbreaking AI launches, while the other pursues his writing career at their old college campus. Their narrative intertwines with an aging oceanographer's race to document dying oceans in one last book, and a cast of characters on a French Polynesian island struggle with a tech consortium's offer to use their land.
There is a stunning plot twist I did not see coming even though I was warned about the novel’s narrative fuckery when I saw Powers and Makkai at the Chicago Humanities Festival. It makes the second read even better.
Things I Loved
ILL-INI: As a fellow University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alum (and former professor), Powers' work has always held special significance. I first encountered his genius through The Gold Bug Variations (1991), which I read while in law school, and it stuck with me for a long time. That novel, with its intricate exploration of music, genetics, and information theory, taught me much about complex scientific concepts in a compelling narrative — and reminds me why I love to read complex, challenging, intellectual fiction. It is fun to learn!
Environmental Novels: As a newly devoted ocean lover following the amazing documentary My Octopus Teacher, I enjoyed Powers’ stunning marine descriptions and could imagine myself diving along with the oceanographer character. I learned much about the ocean, and the message of hope (I think?) was a lovely change from the typical eco-apocalyptical fare.
Bromance: Reading about the long-term true love friendship between two men was a nice palate cleanser after my usual literary diet of female-focused contemporary literature. I found it very sweet.
Complex Structure: only now that I am working on multiple novels do I truly appreciate the magic of the structure of the story, including its multiple POVs and timelines. While reading, I found myself imagining what Powers’ Scrivener files would have looked like and remain in awe.
Things That Made Me Go Hmm
Dialogue: Some of the dialogue for the South Side character felt very cringey (though now that I have re-read the book in light of the twist, I wonder if it was intentional?)
Forced Modern Elements: References to one of the character’s sexuality (without a purpose in the plot) and incel culture seem artificially inserted (but again, I wonder if it was intentional?)
Cast of Characters: The island narrative featured so many characters, and I was left wondering at the end of my first read what purpose they had served (e.g., we spent a lot of page time with the Mayor of the island, but not sure why?)
Your Turn
If you have read Playground, what did you think? Let me know in the comments or via email!
