A Book Review: A Certain Ambiguity

A Book Review: A Certain Ambiguity

                A Certain Ambiguity is a mathematical novel. You read it right. it is a mathematical novel. It was not just an ordinary novel. The story has an amazing and sophisticated plot, characteristics that for me only pure authors could give. I am pretty sure the authors, Gaurav Suri and Hartosh Singh Bal are mathematicians but I am very impressed with their book because they were able to match literature and mathematics in an unexpected and unique way. Honestly, it was my first time seeing and reading a mathematical novel. Before reading it, I thought that it would just be about another run down of Mathematics history and how the early and modern mathematicians were like, what were their struggles and stuff like those. Surprisingly, it was a complete turnover.

                The story started when a 37 years old Ravi Kapoor reminisces precious moments with his Bauji. He was remembering how his grandfather has stirred his interest in math when he gifted him with a calculator on his 12h birthday and how he loved being up with his challenges. Then that interest just started to fade when his grandfather died. Though he still excels in school he never found meaning in doing so. He never found beauty in all his subjects especially mathematics which he used to like. Following his grandfather’s will, he went to America and studied. He went to Standford University but he was like a body without a soul. Yes, he exists but same in high school nothing stirs up his interest. He could not even choose a major if not because of his father.

                One time, he and his best friend, Peter Cage, stayed late for a gig and there he was able to meet a mathematics teacher named Nico Aliprantis. Nico invited them to enrol in his class “Thinking about Infinity”. Not knowing what has urged him, he signed for that class. In their class different students enrolled. Each one has his or her own way of thinking that added to the excitement of the course. Then one time, Dr. Aliprantis had told him he happen to know his grandfather through one of his papers. Of course, Ravi wanted to know this part of the story.

Going back to mathematics, the mathematical concepts and ideas of Zeno and his paradoxes was the first to be mentioned in the very first meeting of the class. There was also the Incomplete Theory of Godel and Paul Cohen’s Consistency Theorem. There was also a discussion about Euclid’s axiom and the non-Eucledian geometry. It was also mentioned that during the time when his grandfather was in America, that was also the time when Albert Einstein’s General Relativity was confirmed. At the end, Ravi got his interest back in mathematics and eventually acquiring a career in it through economics. As for his love of his life, he married Claire. Remember one of his girl classmates whom he sat beside on the day that he found about his grandfather’s imprisonment in America?!

As for the book, I may have said it earlier but it was really amazing. It was amazing how they have come up with a story that even those unappreciative of math can appreciate. Well, the authors have said it at the author’s note that they want people to see the beauty of mathematics and to let people realize the importance of mathematics. And they think that telling a story is the best way because it is what human beings like. They have also incorporated equations and illustrations for the readers so that it would not leave them imagining what were going on just by reading the text. Even though it is a mathematics novel, they were very meticulous on details that they did not confine the story just on mathematics or Ravi’s life. They did not forget to add spices to the story, say, Peter Cage’s religiousness and the fondness of some characters on music. Philosophy was also taken into account. They made it in such a way that every character has a story to tell.

Generally, it was a refreshing way to learn and appreciate math. It is a novel that is child-friendly because it is an inspiring story of how a child began his love for mathematics and how he was able to cope with his loss and eventually finding himself loving again what he used to love, MATHEMATICS.