An Elegant Theory

This is a novel that starts off like a science textbook and proceeds like a mad existential trip and yet somehow never ceases to be as elegant as the title. In fact it's such a strange book it would be difficult to describe and even more so to recommend, but I found it to be terrific and by far one of the most original works of recent fiction. If you're into linear narrative and reliable narrators, don't even try this one...it's all over the place, narration alternates from first to third person, timelines alternate with easy and frequency varying times and realities. Yes, realities, this is, after all, a book about quantum physics, specifically strings theory. The protagonist is an ambitious scientist, who might just make the most important discovery since Einstein's theory of relativity, if he manages to deal with his troubled marriage and equally challenging family life. It's a dizzying ride of a book, it really is, and not the easiest of reads, but a very rewarding one. Milligan doesn't just get the science right, he also succeeds tremendously with the dramatic writing, his relationship depictions are visceral, stunning and strikingly emotionally intelligent. If you can wrap your mind around 11 dimensions and in the mood to try something different, this is just the book. Awesomely impressive debut. Enthusiastically recommended. Thanks Netgalley.