Richard Powers’ ninth novel, The Echo Maker, displays that Powers is more aware of the subtleties of human behavior than any other author of his time. The Echo Maker may be less ambitious than past novels, but the plot and prose unveil themselves fantastically, making it a worthy recipient of this year’s National Book Award.
In Kearney, Nebraska, small-town Mark Schluter flips his truck on the side of the road. When he wakes from a coma, he is diagnosed with the rare Capgras syndrome (a delusion that loved ones are really doubles) to the horror of his distant sister Karin.
Mark’s strange new self begs other characters to contemplate their own sense of being. Karin begins to wonder if she really is an imposter, while world famous neurologist Gerald Weber, Mark’s doctor, contemplates the unethical nature of his career.
Armed with only an anonymous letter, the characters search to find out what happened the night of Mark’s accident, and what they must do to heal him.
Powers fanatics will miss the rigor of his past novels, which demand intensely close reading in order to decode subtle allusions to other art. However, The Echo Maker is Powers’ most readable novel to date. Though occasionally selfish, most of the characters are emotionally charged. Prior Powers novels are either void of a relatable story, or the story of the individual becomes overbearing in the presence of an abstract double narrative.
The Echo Maker gracefully unveils the role of memory and individual flaws in defining the self. Powers develops a beautiful mystery that leaves the reader initially distressed but ultimately uplifted.