Generosity, Richard Powers, The Paperback Bookshop, Melbourne, Australia

When Russell Stone becomes the teacher of a young Algerian woman with a disturbingly luminous presence, he is both entranced and troubled. How can this refugee from terror radiate such bliss? Is it possible to be so open and alive without coming to serious harm? Soon, Theca's joyful personality comes to the attention of the notorious geneticist and advocate for genomic enhancement, Thomas Kurten, whose research has enabled him to announce his discovery of the genetic underpinnings of happiness. Theca's congenital optimism is severely tested by the growing media circus. Devoured by the public as a living prophecy, her genetic secret will transform Russell and Kurten, as well as the world at large. Powers' novel is an exploration of identity and artifice, and the role of science in our lives.