I read this, oh, late 2013, early 2014. What a pleasure. I am familiar with Oe, Murakami, but not Ogawa, and I just saw this on my new groups bookshelf. I fell headlong into this book. At times I was the professor, at times I was the housekeeper. To me, it was a beautiful story about how we accommodate those we love. It also helped me through a personal situation with my aging parents, even though the story couldn't have been more different from my own. And it was like a simple bud unfolding into a complex and beautiful flower. Or maybe I should say it was as if someone took a flat piece of folded paper, lifted the edges, and it became a breathtaking piece of origami art, almost a living thing. There's a mystery in the story, and more than I expected, but I could not have loved it more. Oh, I have to remember to read more Yoko Ogawa when what I normally read becomes all too much (I tend to do a lot of "heavy-lifting" reading. This was an engrossing, loving, gift of a book. Impulsively picked up this book at the library and was truly delighted with its uniqueness. The characters are nameless; the widow, the housekeeper, professor and Root (a nickname). This story of a former math professor with only 80 minutes of current memory engages you from the beginning to the end. Ogawa presents a story of unique and loving relationships that stay with you long after you close the book. The math "problems" tell a story as well. Lovely read.
Do You like book La Formula Del Professore (2008)?
A beatiful novel that reveals the relationship between the universe and life in mathematical form.
—Penis
Loved this sweet tale of friendship and math. A gentle and thoughtful story.
—cupcake28
A "gentle" story. Nice, easy read and with a mathematical bent.
—dodinasher
