I just finished The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers. Still need to digest the massive amount of information, but overall it was a worthwhile read.

The book was a dense 640 pages, full of verbal and mathematical links between genetics, music, emotion, and life overall. There’s a long (too long) stretch in the middle with almost no action – at times the narrator launches into long observations on science and music without advancing the plot at all.  I found myself counting the pages left to go, just to wonder how long it would be till I could start a new book in earnest.

However, the entire book is about patterns and “codes” like DNA or music scores, so I guess the structure of alternating observation and plot thread matches the overall theme.  In the last 100 pages or so the characters actually start DOING something, and the larger ideas presented in the book link up with the main narrative, the book builds to a satisfying crescendo and grand finale.

I can also give this book the highest recommendation I can give a book: it changed the way I viewed the world. The book gives insight into the intricacies and beauty of music, especially classical scores like the Goldberg Variations that give the book its name. Right now I don’t have the ear to appreciate such music, but I want to obtain the appropriate thought processes to decode the music’s pattern and signal.

Overall, a satisfying (if sometimes challenging) read.