Orfeo

Powers, who won the 2006 National Book Award for The Echo Maker, here serves up a sprawling, epic tale of melody and memory. Peter Els, who was a chemistry major in his youth as well as a musician, has been running home-grown gene-splicing experiments to determine if musical aptitude and appreciation are a genetic phenomenon and whether either can manifest in animals. Unfortunately, when his dog dies and Els dials 911, government agents suspect more sinister motivations, and Els finds himself an unlikely outlaw, the "Bioterrorist Bach." A fugitive at the end of his life, Els travels cross-country to say goodbye to those he cares for most, including his daughter, ex-wife, and closest friend. The real journey Powers takes us through, however, is the trip through Els's memories, with extensive passages describing in luxurious detail the power and texture of various musical masterpieces that Els associates with such historic events as 9/11 and with his triumphs and failures. Masterful narrator Christopher Hurt gives passion and clarity to passages that might have seemed overly dry or scholarly from a less skilled reader. This is a beautifully written, emotionally evocative, and intellectually challenging bit of fiction. Not all audiences will have the patience to understand it—the book relies very heavily on the listener's ability to appreciate long, eloquent analysis of classical music pieces, for example—but those who do are in for a treat.