The Solitude of Prime Numbers: A Review

My God.
I haven't been this thrilled with a book since I read Lolita around two years ago.

Haunting, beautifully composed prose. It's easy to why this book is an international bestseller.

This is a book that you don't have to, but should, read slowly. I read it over a series of several weeks. Not because it wasn't enthralling, because it was. I read it slowly because it was just so damn good that I didn't want to rush through it. I spent a lot of time mulling over parts and rereading bits.

The use of words in this novel flowed like so well, it was poetic. Without being incomprehensible, haha. I dislike most poetry.

The story follows Mattia and Alice, two "prime numbers" as they live their lives, searching for something that neither of them seem to be able to discern. Both their lives are influenced at a young age by a tragic event, and it shapes them into who they are for the rest of their lives. Haunting, incredibly sad, but incredibly amazing to read. This is one I will definitely hold on to and read again in perhaps a year's time. And I am not usually a fan of multiple reads.

This book actually helped me in trying to decide the sort of angle I want to take in my own writing. I like the third-person shifting viewpoint.

The ending was reasonably unpredictable for me. It was what I thought would happen, but I really, really, really didn't want it to end that way, so I hoped for another. So 50/50.

I would recommend this book to quite literally anyone. I think anyone could take something away from the lives of Mattia and Alice. I think this book has given me a deeper understanding of human nature and its capacity for healing. It is disturbingly realistic.

Seriously. If you haven't read this book, for your own sake, do so. Please. Do it.

It is definitely in the higher part of my top 10 list of favourite books.


Currently reading A long way gone: memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beah. More on that later.

Also, am anxiously awaiting the release of THE DIVINITY GENE by someone whose name I can't remember. It is about the what-ifs of cloning Jesus Christ. Ohhhhh, my brain. I love spec-fic.