The Solitude of Prime Numbers
Paolo Giordano author Shaun Whiteside translator
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Transworld Publishers Ltd
Published:18th Mar '10
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A stunning debut novel about the intertwined destinies of two friends brought together by childhood tragedy.
THE AWARD-WINNING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER
Discover the heartbreakingly beautiful novel about the intertwined destinies of two friends brought together by childhood tragedy.
'Surprising, intimate and deeply moving’ John Boyne, bestselling author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies
‘Mesmerising’ Good Housekeeping
A prime number is inherently a solitary thing: it can only be divided by itself, or by one; it never truly fits with another.
Alice and Mattia also move on their own axes, alone with their personal tragedies. As a child Alice's overbearing father drove her first to a terrible skiing accident, and then to anorexia. When she meets Mattia she recognises a kindred spirit, and Mattia reveals to Alice his terrible secret: that as a boy he abandoned his mentally-disabled twin sister in a park to go to a party, and when he returned, she was nowhere to be found.
These two irreversible episodes mark Alice and Mattia's lives for ever, and as they grow into adulthood their destinies seem irrevocably intertwined.
But then a chance sighting of a woman who could be Mattia's sister forces a lifetime of secret emotion to the surface.
A meditation on loneliness and love, The Solitude of Prime Numbers asks, can we ever truly be whole when we're in love with another?
Praise for The Solitude of Prime Numbers:
‘Clear, heartbreakingly precise prose, the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Premio Strega (the Italian Man Booker)... a stunning achievement’ Daily Mail
‘Very accomplished... melancholic, but strangely beautiful’ Guardian
‘This astute, aching contemplation of solitude has a power to make us all feel a little less alone. A love story told with astonishing perceptiveness and remarkable subtlety’ Stefan Merrill Block, author of The Story of Forgetting
‘Incredibly poetic and powerful exploring complex relationships, friendship and trauma’ 5-star reader review
‘Will break your heart’ 5-star reader review
‘[My] new favourite’ 5-star reader review
Surprising, intimate and deeply moving, The Solitude of Prime Numbers takes the readers on a hypnotic journey through an unexpected love affair. Paolo Giordano writes with grace and elegance of gentle but damaged characters, using inventive language to create a story unlike anything in recent fiction. This is everything a debut novel should be and leaves one longing for the books that will follow. * John Boyne, author of The Heart's Invisible Furies *
No wonder Giordano’s readers can be counted in the millions; this astute, aching contemplation of solitude has a power to make us all feel a little less alone. A love story told with astonishing perceptiveness and remarkable subtlety, The Solitude of Prime Numbers is an extraordinary affirmation of the reasons we read. * Stefan Merrill Block, author of The Story of Forgetting *
Paolo Giordano is an expert on loss and sorrow. He understands and reveals the hidden hollows of the heart. His story is a quiet one, but his strong writing and unforgettable characters make his book a page turner.The Solitude of Prime Numbers is sad, dark and perfect. * Mary Pipher, author of Letters to a Young Therapist *
In clear, heartbreakingly precise prose, the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Premio Strega (the Italian Man Booker) explores how trauma and guilt can capsize emotional stability and leave the vulnerable in a wash of unease and loss... a stunning achievement. * Daily Mail *
A novel of rare acuity and invention... Giordano is adept at capturing the forthright nature of teenagers' contorted thought processes... The prose is toned and precise... a quite wonderful debut. * Spectator *
Very accomplished... A melancholic, but strangely beautiful. Shaun Whiteside's translation is exemplary and the acute descriptions of teenage competitiveness, angst and aspiration bring to mind Alan Warner's writing. * Guardian *
Moving... masterful... elegantly discreet * Times Literary Supplement *
The year's most important début * La Repubblica *
The story is mesmerising * Good Housekeeping *
Genius... everybody can find in Giordano's book a small piece of himself * Il Giornale *
ISBN: 9780552775984
Dimensions: 178mm x 112mm x 25mm
Weight: 214g
384 pages
New edition