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rsinclair6536's review
4.0
First person narrator, novelist, and teacher Katya tells of love and loss from her adolescence in Russia to the death of her mother in America in her own middle age. Darkly funny and a little sentimental, Katya uses math theorems and puzzles from her mother to help her explain what her romantic entanglements feel like. For her, loving three men at the same time is like an Escher drawing that provides a different take on reality with each rotation of the page. The complexity of love travels with the complexity of mathematics here. Love and death are front and center in ways that are so deeply felt that the book feels like a memoir -- intentionally I think. Katya’s understanding of love moves from a schoolgirl crush on a teacher to a heartbreakingly sad un-love when she can’t bring herself to leave men she doesn’t want and who don’t want her. Saddest of all is that the situation is similar with her mother. I laughed. I cried. Vapnyar's use of the overlay of math onto romance is genius, and she conveys the ups and downs of love just as well.
lovelyday2day's review
4.0
I really liked this book. Mainly revolves around the narrator’s relationship with her mother and her love life. Great structure and tone. And Katya loves Alice Munro, I loved the part where she first discovers her writing!
_issue's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
nadia_b's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
holmstead's review against another edition
2.0
If you like math, A LOT, and like it compared to love while a woman figures out who she should love, give it a try. Lol
cassiewbee's review
5.0
4.75/5
The brilliance of this novel really sneaks up on you.
The first half felt disjointed and I wasn’t really sure where it was going, but the last half really packed a punch. I also appreciated the first half more when viewed from the end, because it encapsulated the essence of the main character perfectly. The closer to the end I got, the less jumbled the story felt and, assuming it was deliberate, this was a brilliant way to structure the novel, because as the main character starts to gain perspective on her life and loves, so does the story become clearer for the reader.
By the end of the story I had a deep appreciation for the characters, which at first just seemed shallow and unlikable. They were thoroughly imperfect and very human characters.
This story is an ode to love - in all its messy, hypnotic, obsessive, real and perfect forms.
The brilliance of this novel really sneaks up on you.
The first half felt disjointed and I wasn’t really sure where it was going, but the last half really packed a punch. I also appreciated the first half more when viewed from the end, because it encapsulated the essence of the main character perfectly. The closer to the end I got, the less jumbled the story felt and, assuming it was deliberate, this was a brilliant way to structure the novel, because as the main character starts to gain perspective on her life and loves, so does the story become clearer for the reader.
By the end of the story I had a deep appreciation for the characters, which at first just seemed shallow and unlikable. They were thoroughly imperfect and very human characters.
This story is an ode to love - in all its messy, hypnotic, obsessive, real and perfect forms.
sonia_reppe's review
5.0
I knew I was going to love this book by the second paragraph:
I know quotes are not allowed before the release date unless checked with the publisher, but those sentences are so perfect, no way will they edit or change that. Also, the last sentence at the very end!
This book might be my favorite of 2019. Right now it ties with City of Girls. They have equally good stories; COG has more colorful characters, whereas this book has a perfect, profound ending. There are not many perfect endings. This is very rare.
Katya's mother was a math expert; in her last year of life she wrote down philosophical notes framed with mathematical truths that Katya uses to provide context for looking at her own life. This 1st-person POV immigrant/mother-daughter/coming-of-age story spans Katya's childhood, marriage, immigration to New York, early career, reluctant motherhood and love affairs up until her mother's end of life, which correlates with some other endings in Katya's life.
SO GOOD!!
I did eat caviar in a romantic setting once. With a very rich Russian man who I agreed to marry even though I was still married to Len and still in love with B.
I know quotes are not allowed before the release date unless checked with the publisher, but those sentences are so perfect, no way will they edit or change that. Also, the last sentence at the very end!
This book might be my favorite of 2019. Right now it ties with City of Girls. They have equally good stories; COG has more colorful characters, whereas this book has a perfect, profound ending. There are not many perfect endings. This is very rare.
Katya's mother was a math expert; in her last year of life she wrote down philosophical notes framed with mathematical truths that Katya uses to provide context for looking at her own life. This 1st-person POV immigrant/mother-daughter/coming-of-age story spans Katya's childhood, marriage, immigration to New York, early career, reluctant motherhood and love affairs up until her mother's end of life, which correlates with some other endings in Katya's life.
SO GOOD!!
rjcarte3's review
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lori_reads_everything's review
5.0
I loved this book, and yet somehow am struggling to find a way to explain and review it.
Divide Me By Zero is a novel that reads like a memoir. Katya is a Russian immigrant who is struggling with her mother's terminal cancer, while also trying to sort out the relationships with the men in her life. Her mother, who writes math textbooks, is determined to write one more book before she goes - a project that Katya takes on for her mother in the end.
This story is a testament to the complexity of love, the struggles of motherhood, and the heartbreaking reality of caring for a terminally ill parent. The authenticity with which it shows love and grief, while maintaining a dark sense of humor was so real it was hard to believe I was reading fiction. Amazing.
Divide Me By Zero is a novel that reads like a memoir. Katya is a Russian immigrant who is struggling with her mother's terminal cancer, while also trying to sort out the relationships with the men in her life. Her mother, who writes math textbooks, is determined to write one more book before she goes - a project that Katya takes on for her mother in the end.
This story is a testament to the complexity of love, the struggles of motherhood, and the heartbreaking reality of caring for a terminally ill parent. The authenticity with which it shows love and grief, while maintaining a dark sense of humor was so real it was hard to believe I was reading fiction. Amazing.