I got lost at the beginning of playground – so lost, in fact, that I nearly gave up on the book. It didn’t matter that it was Richard Powers, I simply couldn’t get into the chopping confusion of the first few dozen pages. But I persevered and eventually it all came together and was worth the effort.
But… there’s always a ‘but’ isn’t there? It could have been shorter; the opening might have been more coherent; some of the confusion of ‘voice’ cleared up a little earlier.
And I hate blurb hyperbole. My edition has a quote from the Observer on the cover: “ascends to the plane of true, indisputable greatness”. Really. Very good certainly – as all Powers’ work is – but “greatness”? Not in the gift of the Observer, I’d suggest. Maybe only bestowed by time and future generations…
Ian Gouge - Writer 