Richard Powers' 'Orfeo' is Kerri's book pick

'Orfeo' by Richard Powers
'Orfeo' by Richard Powers
Book cover courtesy of publisher

Kerri's book pick of the week is by National Book Award winner Richard Powers. His new work, "Orfeo," is a modern interpretation of a Greek myth, weaving together bio-terrorism, homeland security and a professor on the run.

A summary from The Millions:

"Orfeo" follows a retired music professor who's built a DIY genetics lab where he finds musical patterns in DNA sequences. When his dog dies unexpectedly, the FBI seizes the lab, and he goes on the lam. It seems that DNA and music are inextricably paired for Powers, who noted in an essay on having his genome sequenced, "If the genome were a tune played at a nice bright allegro tempo of 120 beats per minute, it would take just short of a century to play."

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