Breakaway Books

Authored by Richard Powers; Published September 2024; Fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️🏖️

Playground drew me into the marine world. I’ve never gone scuba diving or even taken a marine biology course, but I was entranced by the many passages devoted to love of the ocean and its creatures.

Playground is three different stories, threaded together: the first is about Todd and Rafi, a young computer scientist and a philosopher witnessing the dawn of the computer age; the second showcases one of the first female divers, obsessed with the ocean and marine biology; and the third covers the community on a Pacific island, trying to choose whether to allow an American company to bring them life-changing technology. Each of the stories was extremely compelling at different times, but the ending did not leave me fully satisfied.

The friendship between Todd and Rafi was the beating heart of this story, and there’s no other way to put it: It made me uncomfortable. The two bond over their intense love of games, especially Go, and their level of competitiveness was uncomfortable to me. How could winning be more important to them than the relationship itself? I found them both difficult to connect with at different times, and it was immensely frustrating that they couldn’t reach a level of true intimacy and trust. That’s not to say it’s not realistic—I’m certain for some male friendships, it is!—but it drove me a little nuts.

The other two threads of this novel were much easier to enjoy. The pages about Evelyne, the diver and marine biologist, practically overflowed with love for ocean creatures and incredible facts about their lives. While she too often made choices that I wouldn’t have made in her family life, I couldn’t help but love her pure devotion to her field. The islanders too were a joy to read, a true escape to life in a whole different world, separated geographically and culturally from the mainland. Their values, and the way they chose to live them out, were refreshing, truly looking to find what could bring them meaning in life, not just economic prosperity. 

Playground has quite the surprise ending, but you may not enjoy the twist. My advice? Savor the beautiful ocean scenes as you read.