The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything

Gnodde examines the blurry lines of unconditional love between siblings in her spirited debut. Mimi and Art Brotherton have lived together since their parents died by suicide 12 years earlier. The arrangement is not without sacrifice: Mimi, 30, feels burdened by taking care of Art, 40, a mathematical genius who is dedicated to deciphering an unsolvable problem. Mimi wants to find love, but Art is protective of her and insists that if she starts dating, she must use a website called Matrix, because he approves of its “elegant algorithm and an intrinsic mathematical logic.” Contrary to Art’s plan, though, Mimi meets Frank, another mathematician, outside of the app. Sparks fly instantly, and Art feels threatened by Frank’s presence and worries Frank will steal his work. By the third act, Mimi learns secrets Frank kept about his past, Art is hurt in a car accident, and Mimi wonders if Art was right about Frank after all. Gnodde takes a while to get going, but once the narrative picks up, it really gets to the heart of Mimi’s quest for the truth about the people in her life. Readers will be rewarded for sticking around. Agent: Charlotte Seymour, Johnson & Alcock. (Feb.)