Gain

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

Gain tells two parallel stories: one, of Laura Bodey, divorced mother of two and successful real-estate agent in the small town of Lacewood, Illinois, who one day discovers that she has ovarian cancer; and two, of Clare Soap & Chemical, the company begun by three merchant brothers in 19th-century Boston, which by the turn of the century has grown into a large multiconglomerate with factories in Laura's hometown. As the history of Clare Soap changes through the history of America, so a modern-day Laura Bodey descends into a battle with her terminal illness. By the novel's conclusion, we have learned how the largest enterprises affect us on the most personal level.

A.O. Scott

What is most remarkable about this novel is how much life is in it, and how much intelligence. -- New York Review of Books

Having earned a bit of a reputation for being the reclusive genius type -- he didn't give interviews until he had published his third book, and didn't consent to having his photo on the jacket until his fifth -- novelist Richard Powers explains to The New York Times, "I wanted the books to speak for themselves."