| Serb author David Albahari's avant-garde novel about a newspaper columnist caught up in a Kabbalistic plot is notable in that it is written as a single, unbroken paragraph. It is also sort of interesting, if you're into surrealistic, Kafka-esque plots that don't quite make sense. And, there is a post-modern aspect to it, in the way the narrator who recites the story as a detailed "stream of consciousness" recollection often talks about writing and how the written word does not have a fixed meaning.
But, what about the math? Kabbalah often involves numerology and combinatorics, and both of those show up here. However, the narrator decides to contact an old classmate who is a professional mathematician, and this brings in interesting mathematical components. First, the character of the mathematician is a stereotype in that he is known for being anti-social and seems to be unable to explain himself clearly. Of course, in a novel like this, nothing is meant to be clear anyway. So, as the mathematician character rambles on about the infinite length of the Koch Curve,
Lamé coordinates, or the Laplacian, the reader is probably not expected to understand what is being said (which is good since the formula defining the Laplacian which appears in the book is quite messed up)! The mathematician is not just a minor character, but remains important throughout the entire book.
I do not think this book is for everyone, but if you are not likely to be bothered by tiny details (like where each drop of juice from the apple that he bites lands) and a feeling of paranoia, then you might want to give this book a try. |
