I stumbled upon a short Japanese novel recently that turned out to be an enjoyable read. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa is a touching, beautiful portrait of interpersonal relationships. What makes it really unique is the thread of math running through it. The Professor relates to people best through math equations and numbers. Another twist to the book: the Professor's short term memory only lasts 80 minutes at a time before being reset. (because of an auto accident injury.) Every day the housekeeper arrives it is as if he is meeting her for the first time. However, he does pin notes all over his clothes to help him remember things about his life.
The story is very rich, the characters well drawn, the relationships warming. This would make an excellent book club discussion, or just a nice read to pick up on one's own.
I keep a running list (and rating) of the books I read in my 2012 Book List, so if this one didn't sound interesting feel free to check the list for other great books (or books to avoid...haha). I'm always looking for a good book recommendation so please leave a comment if you have one! Thanks!
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