Playground A Novel
Playground A Novel by Richard Powers, published by W. W. Norton, Incorporated on September 30, 2025, is a 416-page work in English that intertwines the lives of four individuals against a backdrop of environmental and technological themes. The narrative begins with twelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu, who experiences a pivotal moment in a Montreal swimming pool, and follows the journeys of Ina Aroita, Rafi Young, and Todd Keane as they navigate their unique backgrounds and relationships. Set against the historical context of Makatea in French Polynesia, the story delves into the implications of a proposed project to create floating cities on the ocean.
Readers will find a rich exploration of friendship and the political dimensions of human interaction as the characters confront the decision to support or oppose the seasteading initiative. The novel engages with profound themes related to technology, the environment, and our shared humanity, all while showcasing Powers’ signature literary style. Through its panoramic scope, Playground invites reflection on the complexities of modern life and the interconnectedness of individual choices within a broader societal framework.
Official synopsis Publisher
Four lives are drawn together in a sweeping, panoramic novel from Richard Powers, showcasing the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory at the height of his skills. Twelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world’s first aqualungs. Ina Aroita grows up on naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. Two polar opposites at an elite Chicago high school bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game; Rafi Young will get lost in literature, while Todd Keane’s work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough.
They meet on the history-scarred island of Makatea in French Polynesia, whose deposits of phosphorus once helped to feed the world. Now the tiny atoll has been chosen for humanity’s next adventure: a plan to send floating, autonomous cities out onto the open sea. But first, the island’s residents must vote to greenlight the project or turn the seasteaders away.
Set in the world’s largest ocean, this awe-filled book explores that last wild place we have yet to colonize in a still-unfolding oceanic game, and interweaves beautiful writing, rich characterization, profound themes of technology and the environment, and a deep exploration of our shared humanity in a way only Richard Powers can.
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