Playground

Playground ~ Richard Powers

Todd Keane is a middle-aged white tech billionaire diagnosed with dementia. He had a privileged childhood in Illinois, and develops an extremely popular online app, Playground.

Rafi Young is a worker with an NGO who went to prep-school and college with Todd. He is a black man from a poor neighborhood, whose parents sacrifice in order to give him the education he clearly craves, as his is a gifted mind.

Ina Aroita is a sculptor from the South Pacific who meets Todd and Rafi in college. She and Rafi fall in love and start a tumultuous relationship.

Evelyne Beaulieu is a gifted deep sea diver who writes a book for young adults about the wonders of the ocean, with wonderful pictures, which nonetheless discusses the impacts that global warming and plastic waste are having on the ocean’s biodiversity.

Rafi and Ina are living on Makatea, a Polynesian island with a population of 81 people, with their two young children, when the residents of the island are offered the opportunity to allow the island to be used for the construction of floating cities by tech billionaires in a Libertarian’s dream.

Playground switches between different points of view and timelines, and is sometimes confusing. I loved the intricate stories and how they came together, and Evelyne’s stories of the deep sea are lyrical and breathtaking. Having said that, I wasn’t thrilled by the ending. I’m still glad I read it, I really enjoyed most of it, and for that reason, I recommend it.