The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything
A Tender, Uplifting Debut Novel from 'One to Watch'
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3.7 • 6 Ratings
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- £5.99
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
As seen on Kay Burley at Breakfast
The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything by Kara Gnodde is a tender, intelligent and uplifting novel about brothers and sisters, true love in all its forms, and how life is more than just a numbers game . . .
'Tender, unique and uplifting, it explores sibling love, romantic love and the love between friends. Such an accomplished debut' – Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flat Share
'[A] sunny debut, in which heart and mind must work together to shed light on a family secret' – Daily Mail
Like circles of a Venn diagram, Mimi and Art Brotherton have always come as a pair. Devoted siblings, they're bound together in their childhood home by the tragic death of their parents.
Art believes that people - including his sister - are incapable of making sensible decisions when it comes to love. That’s what algorithms are for.
Mimi knows that her brother is a mathematical genius. But she believes that maths isn’t the answer to everything. Not quite. Especially when it comes to love.
Still, when Mimi begins her search for a soulmate, Art's insistence that she follow a strict mathematical plan seems reasonable. The arrival of Frank, however - a romantic stargazer who is definitely not algorithm-approved - challenges the siblings' relationship to breaking point. As their equilibrium falters, Art's mistrust of Frank grows, but so do Mimi's feelings. Something about Frank doesn't quite add up, and only Art can see it . . .
'Gorgeous' – Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of The Man Who Didn't Call
'My book of the year . . . Smart, funny, tender' – Kate Weinberg, bestselling author of The Truants
'A delightfully clever tale of first love, loss and an unforgettable sibling relationship' – Marianne Cronin, author of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Siblings Mimi and Art have been locked in a co-dependent relationship since the death of their parents, the extent of which only truly becomes clear when Mimi tentatively and fumblingly tries to break free. At first glance, it’s easy to put the pair into their respective boxes: Art is a mathematical genius, obsessed with solving the equation that may hold the answer to all the universe’s questions, and suspicious of most outsiders; but his inner life, his affections and his heartbreak are as real and profound as anything Mimi experiences. And Mimi herself has depths of unacknowledged emotion as inaccessible as others might assume Art to be. As she falls in love and takes some long-overdue steps towards independence, Art’s possibly justified paranoia sets them on a collision course. Can they separate from each other without catastrophe? Painful sibling conflict, deep unresolved grief and the destructive secrets families can keep (not to mention the potential total collapse of global security) are all thoughtfully explored in this intelligent and tender novel.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Gnodde examines the blurry lines of unconditional love between siblings in her spirited debut. Mimi and Art Brotherton have lived together since their parents died by suicide 12 years earlier. The arrangement is not without sacrifice: Mimi, 30, feels burdened by taking care of Art, 40, a mathematical genius who is dedicated to deciphering an unsolvable problem. Mimi wants to find love, but Art is protective of her and insists that if she starts dating, she must use a website called Matrix, because he approves of its "elegant algorithm and an intrinsic mathematical logic." Contrary to Art's plan, though, Mimi meets Frank, another mathematician, outside of the app. Sparks fly instantly, and Art feels threatened by Frank's presence and worries Frank will steal his work. By the third act, Mimi learns secrets Frank kept about his past, Art is hurt in a car accident, and Mimi wonders if Art was right about Frank after all. Gnodde takes a while to get going, but once the narrative picks up, it really gets to the heart of Mimi's quest for the truth about the people in her life. Readers will be rewarded for sticking around.
Customer Reviews
Charming
Beautiful and unexpected