A prime number can only be divided by itself or by one--it never truly fits with another. Alice and Mattia, both "primes," are misfits who seem destined to be alone. Haunted by childhood tragedies that mark their lives, they cannot reach out to anyone else. When Alice and Mattia meet as teenagers, they recognize in each other a kindred, damaged spirit.
But the mathematically gifted Mattia accepts a research position that takes him thousands of miles away, and the two are forced to separate. Then a chance occurrence reunites them and forces a lifetime of concealed emotion to the surface.
Like Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , this is a stunning meditation on loneliness, love, and the weight of childhood experience that is set to become a universal classic.
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Summary
Add a SummaryA prime number is divisible by one or itself, it never fits with another. Alice and Mattia are primes, two misfits destined to be alone. Both Alice and Mattia have suffered tragic accidents in their childhoods but meet at a high school party and recognize a kindred spirit. They develop a strong friendship but when the mathematically talented Mattia accepts a position at a university thousands of miles away they are forced apart. A chance encounter causes a reunion between them years later. Can two prime numbers find a way to be together?
The Solitude of Prime Numbers is author, Paolo Giordano’s debut novel. It has been very well received in his home country of Italy and has been translated into thirty languages. It is a story of loneliness, love and the weight of childhood experience. I highly recommend this novel for both adults and young adults. Reviewed by KH.
Quotes
Add a QuoteMattia deliberately made all his movements as silently as he could. He knew that the chaos of the world would only increase, that the background noise would grow until it covered every coherent signal, but he was convinced that by carefully measuring his every gesture he would be less guilty of that slow ruin.
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Add a CommentBeautifully written and with a compelling story line, this books speaks to those of us who question our place within this world and, indeed, within our own skins. Its tentative and questioning characters move through their lives burdened by circumstance and the consequences of decision or indecision. Deserves a reading and even a re-reading.
This is an extraordinary book. Anyone who has ever experienced the feeling of not quite fitting in will identify with
the two main characters who carry scars, both physical and psychological, in this beautifully written novel. The book by a young Italian physicist, won Italy's most prestigious literary award Premio Strega in 2008.
For introverts, this book carries a kindred spirit that we see in all of us. Although this story lacks a true satisfying ending, it was still a great read for me.
This is a well-written meditation on the loneliness we inflict on ourselves and the weight of consequences. It is quiet and sometimes lovely, but also heavy and suffocating, like water at the bottom of a river on a warm summer day.
A prime number is divisible by one or itself, it never fits with another. Alice and Mattia are primes, two misfits destined to be alone. Both Alice and Mattia have suffered tragic accidents in their childhoods but meet at a high school party and recognize a kindred spirit. They develop a strong friendship but when the mathematically talented Mattia accepts a position at a university thousands of miles away they are forced apart. A chance encounter causes a reunion between them years later. Can two prime numbers find a way to be together? The Solitude of Prime Numbers is author, Paolo Giordano’s debut novel. It has been very well received in his home country of Italy and has been translated into thirty languages. It is a story of loneliness, love and the weight of childhood experience. I highly recommend this novel for both adults and young adults. Reviewed by KH.
Readable, by why would you? The story of two sad people ruining others' lives with their sadness.
Really enjoyed this book.
Found it difficult to read but hard to put down...if that makes any sense. Tragic characters with tragic circumstances.
Excellent book, great read.
Two damaged individuals find each other in adolescence and remain connected, even at a distance, for years to come. A sad story with well-developed characters but lacking in joy or reconciliation.