Book reco: The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano

Riveting. The Solitude of Prime Numbers was absolutely riveting. There’s a romantic quote somewhere that goes you know you’re meant to be with someone if you’re comfortable in each other’s silence. But for how long? Can a prime number, one seemed to be destined alone, ever find happiness in the silence of another? Giordano takes us on a quiet and moving journey between two primes.

The plot, more or less without spoilers: Alice and Mattia each go through life-altering experiences in their childhood that propel them to choose a solitude that is agonizing, but also strangely peaceful. When they meet in their teens, they develop a friendship that is intimate in its quietness but distant in its assumed (and unspoken) uncertainty. The book then chronicles the story of Alice and Mattia as they eventually try to face and hesitantly embrace adulthood. It is a story that is a sum of many quiet moments — some the uncomfortable kind of awkwardness present in silent lapses, others the awkward moments that ironically bring much relief. It is a story of two “prime numbers.” The question is: is a prime number’s destiny solitude, or can two primes ever come together?

This book was originally written in Italian. The translation was beautiful. The story was written from alternating viewpoints (Mattia, Alice), and I devoured each chapter. The characters are so intense but still relatable in their vulnerability. I finished it in a little over a day. I couldn’t put the book down. I lapped up the chapters, cringing as the book came to a close, hesitant to find out how it would end. It is a book to be relished. While this is a quick read, the story lingers with you long after you’ve read it. I would read it again. Interestingly, Paolo Giordano is a professional physicist. The Solitude of Prime Numbers is his first novel.

Meanwhile, this book has been turned into a movie in Italy. I saw the trailer on Youtube and the comments about it were mostly mixed. (The comments were in Italian but hurrah for Google Translate!) I’ll hold off watching the film until after I read the book again.

I highly recommend you read this book, especially if you’ve got a full day to spare. Just find yourself a comfortable space in a coffee shop, your couch or the corner of your bed and devour this book. Before you know it, Alice and Mattia will be coming to life and you won’t be able to put the book down.

“We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.” – Orson Welles

Hi! I'm Toni Tiu, and I've been blogging at at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.