Gain

by Richard Powers

One more book for our summer reading program, Read Green, Live Green!

Let me begin by stating that a novel by Richard Powers is not a beach read. That having been said, it probably should not be recommended for a summer reading program. This is a dense and slow novel, and it is not for amateurs!

In Gain, Powers tells two stories: the story of the Clare family and their soap business and the story of Laura Bodey, a woman who has just found out that she has ovarian cancer.

As the stories move along (alternating voices), we learn how the Clares failed as merchants, but turned to candle making and soap, which was a brilliant business decision. Their story begins in the early nineteenth century. Their story is dry. None of the Clares is developed enough for the reader to care about them. And who, except for a maker of soap, cares about how soap is made?

Laura Bodey's story really drives this novel. She is a forty-ish realtor with two kids, Ellen and Tim, and an ex-husband, Don. Her experience with cancer and chemo is horrific. When she finds out that many people in her town, Lacewood, also have cancer, she cannot help but to wonder about the culprit, namely Clare Soap & Chemical.

The two storylines really don't come together as one would expect. With such an elaborate history of soap and its makers, the connection between Clare and Bodey should have been more complex. Still, I couldn't stop reading this book, mostly for the compelling story of Laura Bodey.

7/7/08