BOOK#12 "PLAYGROUND” BY RICHARD POWERS FROM THE LONGLIST #BOOKERPRIZE2024

Before the earth,
before the moon,
before the stars,
before the sun,
before the sky,
even before the sea,
there was only time and Ta’aroa.

The book opens with these lines. These lines reminded me of the opening lines of the serial Bharat Ek Khoj, based on The Discovery of India (by Jawaharlal Nehru).


This book is a complex yet well-connected narrative about friends, the vast ocean, and life.


The narrative goes back and forth. The book is braided out of four strands: one being an oceanographer, Evie; one, a Black book lover, Rafi; another, a digital whizkid, Todd, who is also enamored by the ocean; and the fourth, the island of Makatea. It is a progressive novel portraying the life struggles of these characters.

The titular Playground is a game created by Todd, which brings him acclaim and wealth. Through Todd, we see the evolution of AI.
Through the eyes of Evie, we swim through the ocean, where one can vividly visualize the vibrant, colourful sea creatures, their twirling movements, and their lives as she plays with them or observes them. The character I enjoyed reading about the most was Evie, who was a deep-sea diver, and she excelled at it, yet she struggles to carve a niche for herself. Her love for the ocean and its creatures is commendable, and the fact that she is an unparalleled diver was fantastic.
I also enjoyed the friendship between Todd and Rafi, their chess games, and the Chinese board game Go. Their cryptic chess moves were all fun to read about.

A part of the book talks about a woman who creates a huge monstrosity of a sculpture out of discarded plastic and trash. I think if we were to collect all the plastic in the world, it might even reach the moon — an eyesore on the face of this beautiful planet.

The island of Makatea undergoes changes, and change is difficult. Do they face it, overcome it, or oppose it? This is what we witness.
The author weaves heartrending tales about the difficulties faced by sea creatures battered by nets or plastic. It is an eye-opener to the rising pollution, plastic poisoning, and its effect on the ocean, land, and creatures on earth.

It is a novel that makes us question how we take the "blue dot," the oceans, and their creatures for granted. The author, a conjurer of words, has brilliantly put together this story to make people contemplate and reflect on how human activities are defacing our planet.


Overall, it was a tough but insightful read and a must-read.