MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Only Say the Word (2005)
Niall Williams
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This novel about loss and grief includes a minor character (the protagonist's brother) who has mathematical talent and "retreats" into numbers. He believes that "for every problem there is a true and perfect solution" and eventually applies his skills to gambling (apparently providing the perfect solution to the problems of his life.)

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Works Similar to Only Say the Word
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. God Doesn't Shoot Craps by Richard Armstrong
  2. Gambler's Rose by G.W. Hawkes
  3. Improbable by Adam Fawer
  4. The Spoilers by Desmond Bagley
  5. Numbers by Dana Dane
  6. Case of Lies by Perri O\'Shaughnessy
  7. Summa Mathematica by Sean Doolittle
  8. Qui perd gagne! by Laurent Bénégui (Director)
  9. Going Out by Scarlett Thomas
  10. The Last Casino by Pierre Gill (director) / Steven Westren (screenplay)
Ratings for Only Say the Word:
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Categories:
Genre
MotifAnti-social Mathematicians,
Topic
MediumNovels,

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Exciting News: The 1,600th entry was recently added to this database of mathematical fiction! Also, for those of you interested in non-fictional math books let me (shamelessly) plug the recent release of the second edition of my soliton theory textbook.

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)