Yoko Ogawa made mathematics alluring with this delightful book about a mathematics professor, his housekeeper and her ten year old son. None of the characters have names, though the son has a nickname (Root), given by the professor. Interestingly, the protagonist, in my opinion, is the Professors short term memory. After a devastating accident, the professor only has 80 minutes of short term memory. This means, every single morning, the Housekeeper has to re-introduce herself to the Professor before she can go into his house. One would think there would be no way to build a relationship with this sort of setback. This book shows its possible.
Rajan : "My lack of imagination is so glaring. My image of the professor was a much more disorganized, unhealthy and weak. The lady too wasnt a young japanese girl as shown here. I think I was using my Indian sensibilities."
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