tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-257559067333970126.post2628927776136025243..comments2024-03-23T14:48:31.480-07:00Comments on Strange at Ecbatan: Birthday Review: The Gold Bug Variations, by Richard PowersRich Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07659613066689174738noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-257559067333970126.post-25907914267408693112021-01-11T14:21:22.497-08:002021-01-11T14:21:22.497-08:00I just finished the novel. It's one of the br...I just finished the novel. It's one of the brainiest books I've ever read -- a major part of the plot is a character who takes a year off to study DNA replication? On her own? It strains credibility at times, but Powers also has a gift for compact, straightforward narrative. My favorite example is the day trip that Ressler and Koss take across the Illinois countryside. Their happiness on that day is believable and compelling. My basic criticism centers around Jan .... she's "on screen" all the time, but never coheres as a character the way Ressler or Franklin or even less important personalities like Botkin do. The problem, I think, is that she exists as a window onto other characters, and as a stand-in for Powers himself. It's telling that the lengthy letter from Franklin is written in precisely the same style as Jan's voice, right down to the noun phrases standing in for sentences. This confirms the hunch that if Powers had written this in the third person, we'd be hearing the same voice. That realization makes Jan fade into the background. But few novels can make the world feel fresh again like this book does. It's breathtaking, at its best, linking domains you might otherwise see as separate. It asks questions that resound.dan haashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067392587666524083noreply@blogger.com