Michael Beard is a Nobel prize–winning physicist whose best work is behind him. Trading on his reputation, he speaks for enormous fees, lends his name to the letterheads of renowned scientific institutions, and half-heartedly heads a government-backed initiative tackling global warming. While he coasts along in his professional life, Michael’s personal life is another matter entirely. His fifth marriage is crumbling under the weight of his infidelities. But this time the tables are turned: His wife is having an affair, and Michael realizes he is still in love with her. When Michael’s personal and professional lives begin to intersect in unexpected ways, an opportunity presents itself in the guise of an invitation to travel to New Mexico. Here is a chance for him to extricate himself from his marital problems, reinvigorate his career, and very possibly save the world from environmental disaster. Can a man who has made a mess of his life clean up the messes of humanity? A complex novel that brilliantly traces the arc of one man’s ambitions and self-deceptions, Solar is a startling, witty, and stylish new work from one of the world’s great writers.
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3,5
I'm not sure yet whether I should give 'Solar' 3 or 4 stars. Yes, this was a tough read. Yes, I despised the character of Michael Beard. But, at the same time, I feel like the reader is meant to find Beard despicable; as if that is the point. He is the embodiment of everything wrong with society. I liked the way the story was told. I liked meeting all the different women as the years went by. How ironic that someone so awful continuously finds himself semi-perfect women - who always seem to love him unconditionally despite his (many) flaws. I liked how Beard never changed, undeterred by the nobility of his supposed life's cause: fighting climate change with solar energy. Patrice, Melissa, Darlene, Tom Aldous, Hammer and Brady: all amazing characters. All much more likable than Michael Beard too. Maybe I shall return in a few months to reassess the score I have given 'Solar'. I can however say that it was most definitely an interesting take on the cli-fi genre.