Theo Byrne

Theo is the narrator of the novel. He is a 45-year-old astrobiologist living in Madison, Wisconsin, raising his young son, Robin, alone, because his wife Alyssa died two years before the events of the story. Theo's primary motivation is protecting and caring for Robin, who is neurodiverse and has problems with emotional volatility. He constantly questions his parenting choices, wishing that he had Alyssa to guide him. Theo is adamantly against medicating Robin with psychoactive drugs, so he decides to enroll him in an experimental treatment program called neurofeedback training. However, the success of this program results in fame for Robin and this causes Theo to question his choices further. As Theo deals with these parenting challenges, he continues to grieve Alyssa. His grief often manifests as a longing to know what she was thinking when she summoned the emotion ecstasy as a volunteer for the neurofeedback...