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.

Debut author Kara Gnodde delivers an emotional, quirky and creative plot with “ The Rosie Project” and “ The Maid” vibes, with characters that are just as likable and honest. Is he dead?” she hears herself say. “My brother. He’s dead, right?” The room dissolves into strips that are floating away, nothing has substance, light swallows matter. Use plain and simple language. Start by saying the person has died. This leaves no room for doubt. Don’t use euphemisms—like “passed on,” or “they’re in a better place now.” “Lost” is particularly unhelpful—just imagine. He lies on the bed, breath shallow and even, tubes rising and falling in sync with his chest. Tubes, liquids, toxins. Electrics, needles. Beds on wheels. He wouldn’t like it. The wheels make her feel queasy too—they look ready to move out at a moment’s notice. Mimi stands at the foot of his bed. “Can I touch him?” she asks a nurse. Maybe I shouldn't write a review straight after finishing a book, as a couple of glistening tears are still drying under my eyes. But I didn't expect to be as moved as I was when I begun this. I thought I was getting more of a Rosie Project comedy.Those who like quirky family stories will really enjoy this. The blurb references ‘Eleanor Oliphant’. The writing isn’t quite as nuanced, but it is still good. It does flip perspectives a fair bit between the two main characters. But it didn’t take me too long to get used to it. This was so moving, by the end and the final facts coming to light I was sobbing just a little bit. But a beautiful resolution and a very affecting story, would recommend. Not enough maths to put anyone off who's not a fan, but it was well integrated into the plot. Rey’s surprising admission towards the end of the novel brings a certain kind of peace to Art and Mimi. Do you think she should have told them earlier, or would they not have been ready to hear it?

Art’s main research is on p versus Np, but he’s (perhaps excessively) paranoid that someone, the wrong someone, is stealing his work and will get there before him. It’s not the prize money he cares about; it’s the potential damage the wrong person might wreak with such powerful knowledge. And his suspicions have ramped up since Frank has appeared on the scene. Has Frank been entirely honest with Mimi? The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything is a story about family and love, and when the two don't quite see eye to eye. It also brings in elements of grief and guilt. Its synopsis explains: “ The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything tells the story of Mimi, who is naturally curious and determined, but living a constrained life defined by her demanding maths genius brother. Art’s every move is dictated by routine and his pursuit to solve an important, but notoriously complicated maths problem. When Mimi decides to find love, Art does the only logical thing: sets a strict mathematical path for her quest. Then Mimi meets Frank – a spontaneous stargazer and a mathematician. But not algorithm approved. Over time, the siblings’ relationship is tested to breaking point – something about Frank doesn’t quite add up, and only Art can see it…”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 Art never understood how boring his math could be for everyone else. “It’s not magic, you know,” said Mimi. “It’s just math.” A] sunny debut, in which heart and mind must work together to shed light on a family secret' – Daily Mail There is also a legitimate plot that becomes more interesting as you read. I would say the first 40% of the book took me awhile to get into but then I couldn’t put it down.

Gnodde’s story touches on grief and guilt, on feeling abandoned, loneliness and loyalty, and, of course, love. Gnodde has a marvellous turn of phrase: “She even made them up in her head when Art wasn’t around, his opinions serving as guardrails to her bouncing thoughts.” This debut novel is funny and moving, and Gnodde’s next work will be eagerly anticipated Mimi is doubtful that algorithms can’t help in matters of the heart but she bows to Art’s insistent enthusiasm for his more reasoned approach, stipulating that Mimi must meet a certain number of men, a critical mass if you like, before she can truly know she has found her soulmate. Art is a keen mathematician with ideas and fixations that mean his sister, Mimi, feels she could never leave him alone. And he is on the edge of solving a specific mathematical problem that mathematicians worldwide are trying to solve. His work is like an obsession. She’d tell you: don’t procrastinate. The person will already know something is wrong from your demeanour, from the fact that you’re calling or visiting at all. We send countless signals without knowing. Their body will be preparing for an emergency. She me

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Before bedtime: Many people find that reading before bedtime helps them unwind and relax, which can promote better sleep. We need to break this down into parts,” Art had said, in a voice stunned into the rhythm of a metronome. He’d looked around, as if for a ruler with which to measure the parts of the shattered whole. “And”—he said, his voice faltering—“plan for our future together.” Art thinks people are incapable of making sensible decisions, especially when it comes to love. That’s what algorithms are for. In fact, from being the idiosyncratic story of healing from grief or finding love and second chances that you might be expecting, though they are definitely part of the story, The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything goes far deeper into the human condition, asking whether we are better to rely on heads or our hearts?

Mimi believes that Art occupies a disproportionate share of his parents’ attention, especially their mother’s. Do you think this is accurate? How does her perspective affect her adult life? I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting study in familial relationships, lasting trauma and how we are all hostage to our own perceptions, thoughts and preconceived ideas. No one has a monopoly on ‘the truth’ and we can all draw incorrect conclusions for the right reasons and conversely, correct conclusions for the wrong reasons. As Art's mistrust of Frank grows, so do Mimi's feelings, and the siblings' relationship is brought to a breaking point. Something about Frank doesn't quite add up, and only Art can see it . . . 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 . . .

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I just loved the sibling relationship between Mimi and Art- they are interdependent with different strengths. Mimi does all the household tasks , cooking and cleaning whilst Art works on his maths problems. However despite his difficulties in communication and behaviour, Art is continually looking out for Mimi, the reasons for which become clear as the book progresses. There’s no doubt that we usually tip one way or the other, but life has a defy of abhorring clean boundaries and easily-defined decisions, and so while we may favour one approach to life or the other, it’s hard to make decisions as simply as Art might think they can be made. She remembers last time—sitting on the corner of the coffee table, staring at a dry-cleaning tag that her mother had left on the rug. Her brother Art was talking. The police officers had gone. The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything is a tender, intelligent and uplifting novel about brothers and sisters, true love in all its forms, and how the answers to life’s biggest questions follow a logic of their own. Details About The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything But in Art’s rigidly safe view of the world, romance is definitely something that marches to the beat of an algorithmic drum and when Mimi, chafing at the close bond she shares with Art – while simultaneously uncertain what she would do without it since it is just her and Art against the world, family-wise at least; she at least has her bestie Rey, an old family friend while her brother has his doctoral assistant Ernest for support – decides she’d like to find love, Art the 0s and 1s Cupid springs into action.