Professor Lee, an older math professor at a small mid-western university becomes a suspect when a package bomb kills the young and popular professor in the office next to his. More of a serious psychological study than an adventure or a mystery, the book was probably inspired by the true story of Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and influenced by the life of Choi's father, a real math professor. Other themes of the story include the insecurity of the professors at this university who know that they are not the stars of their fields, Lee's immigration from China and his failed marriages, the (supposed) anti-social behavior of mathematicians, and religion. |