A novel about mathematics, believing in fairy tales, a warming planet, and our lot as humans in this world.
Author: Iida Rauma
Finnish original: Seksistä ja matematiikasta
Publisher: Gummerus, 2015
Genre: literary fiction
Number of pages: 471 pp.
Reading material: Finnish original, English translation
Erika is a brilliant mathematician who has arranged her life in Berlin so that she doesn’t have to think about her own body or anyone else’s. But when the worst happens, Erika is forced to flee to her snowy homeland and confront the things she left behind: her friendship with an extravagant artist, her disabled sister, and the family ghost. Meanwhile, Tuovi, a distressed biology student and transgender person, attempts to alleviate their climate anxiety by engaging in an absurd romantic relationship. When an oil tanker hits the rocks on the Baltic Sea with the worst possible prospects, Tuovi’s and Erika’s lives collide, and the two find salvation in each other in unexpected ways.
Blending realism with elements of the supernatural and science, ‘On Sex and Mathematics’ is a unique exploration of our culture’s belief in a mind separate from the body and the disasters this belief leads to, both for individuals and for civilization as a whole.
The Kalevi Jäntti Prize Jury wrote about the novel: “Iida Rauma masterfully balances the essential elements of the novel form: the ability to create complex characters and vividly describe their emotions and experiences, the skill to keep the story gripping, and the talent to maintain a fresh structure. The novel seamlessly blends clear mathematical representation, spoken language, Ostrobothnian dialect, and the chatter of a disabled woman in its depiction of inner feelings and emotions. This forms the major theme of the novel, resonating like a beautiful overtone: there is no standard human being.’
“On Sex and Mathematics is one of this autumn’s finest reads.”
– Helsingin Sanomat newspaper
“The book is a singular blend of realism, mysticism, and suspense. Rauma’s language is to be savored, and she smoothly controls the structure of the text.”
– Apu magazine
“The work is rife with mordant humor […] The world Rauma creates is rich, as are the characters who populate it.”
– Turun Sanomat newspaper
Also available:
Destruction (2022)
The Book of Disappearances (2011)
About the author:
Iida Rauma