Gain

Gain (ISBN 0-374-15996-3) is a novel by Richard Powers published by in 1998. It tells the stories of Clare International, a chemical conglomerate with origins in soap manufacturing in the early 18th century, and Laura Bodey, a 42-year-old divorcée living near Clare International's headquarters who develops ovarian cancer. It won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction in 1999.