Alexander Cooper 
Summary of Bewilderment 
by Richard Powers – A Comprehensive Summary

Summary of Bewilderment



The narrator, Theo Byrne, and his 9-year-old son, Robin (‘Robbie’), are stargazing with a telescope in the woods, looking out at the Andromeda galaxy. Robbie is perplexed as to why we are the only ones we are aware of in the universe (the Fermi Paradox).

Robin has been excused from school for the week, and they are staying in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Robin requests to sleep outside, so they set up camp under the stars that night. The narrator recalls his late wife, Alyssa (‘Aly’), who died when Robin was seven years old. Chester, Robin’s dog, died a few months later.

Robin has been diagnosed with various conditions by various doctors — autism, OCD, ADHD, other syndromes, and so on — but none of them agree with Theo. Instead, he believes that ‘life is something we must stop correcting’ and that Robin is ‘a pocket universe I could never hope to comprehend.’ Theo also claims that the series of deaths Robin endured was most likely the ‘reason for disturbed behavior’ on his part.

Various doctors have diagnosed Robin with autism, OCD, ADHD, various syndromes, and so on, but none of them agree with Theo. He believes that ‘life is something we must stop correcting’ and that Robin is ‘a pocket universe I could never hope to comprehend.’ Theo also claims that Robin’s string of deaths was most likely the ’cause of disturbed behavior’ on his part.




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