The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything by Kara Gnoode – BlogTour

A huge thanks to Anne Cater for organising this tour and to Kara Gnodde, Mantle Books and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis

Meet Art and Mimi Brotherton. Devoted siblings and housemates, they’re bound together by the tragic death of their parents. Mathematical genius Art relies on logic, while Mimi prefers to follow her heart.

When Mimi decides she needs more from life than dutifully tending to her brilliant brother, she asks for his help to find love. Art agrees, but on one condition: that she find her soulmate using a strict mathematical principle. Things seem promising, until Mimi meets Frank: a romantic, spontaneous stargazer who’s also a mathematician. Despite Mimi’s obvious affection for the quirky Frank, Art is wary of him from their very first encounter.

As Art’s mistrust of Frank grows, so do Mimi’s feelings, and the siblings’ relationship is brought to a breaking point. Something about Frank doesn’t quite add up, and only Art can see it . . .

The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything is a tender, intelligent and uplifting novel about brothers and sisters, true love in all its forms, and how the answers to life’s biggest questions follow a logic of their own.

My Thoughts

The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything is a poignant novel that addresses a variety of issues faced by brother and sister Art and Mimi Brotherton.  Since the death of their parents, Mimi has always taken care of Art, even to the detriment of her own wishes and dreams.  But when Mimi decides to take charge of her own life…..things become a little messy between her and Art.  Can things change without ruining their bond?

The plot follows Mimi as she tries to find love and do something for herself whilst still balancing her brother’s need for schedules, structure and things to stay the same.  Art agrees to help Mimi as he is convinced there is a formula to follow when finding a good match.  Mimi is trying to follow her heart. It touches on themes of grief, loss, neurodiversity and there is a mystery to solve too. 

I adored Mimi and Art.  Mimi was fiercely protective of her brother and worked hard to keep life easy for him.  But, she has spent her life feeling as though she hasn’t achieved or experienced things herself.  Their bond is a beautiful thing and it’s obvious how much they love each other.  Mimi’s anguish and much she was torn between her brother, her guilt and wanting her own life.  My heart went out to her so many times. 

The Theory of (Not Quite) everything is a beautifully told story with a huge emphasis on the characters and their relationships and the parts each of them play in each other’s lives.  It is told very elegantly and although not a fst paced story – once you become attached to the characters, it becomes difficult to let them go.   

Author Bio – Kara Gnoode

KARA GNODDE grew up in Johannesburg on a diet of Dr Seuss and no TV. After graduating from the
University of Cape Town, she joined Saatchis in London. She has l ived in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and is now settled back in the UK, where she l ives with her husband and three chi ldren.
Hearing a discussion on the radio about a maths problem that could change the world gave her a place to start THE THEORY OF (Not Quite) EVERYTH, her debut novel .

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