The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything

THE THEORY OF (NOT QUITE) EVERYTHING is a tender, poignant novel about two siblings who, bound by their parents tragic deaths, find themselves living together with their outlook aligned on not quite everything… It was pre-empted by Mantle in the UK and will be published as a lead debut fiction title in March 2023. Rights have also been sold to HarperCollins in the US and HarperCanada in Canada.

Mimi Brotherton, younger sister of a mathematical genius, believes in truth. And, most of the time, in telling it. Her brother Art believes in facts.

Bound together by their parents’ tragic deaths, the siblings share their family home and have a strong, if unequal, relationship. Art has everything he needs (math and a devoted sister). Now, Mimi’s ready for a life of her own.

That might include love. At first, Art is cautiously enthusiastic, keen to demonstrate that love, like everything, is subject to rules. Then Mimi meets Frank, who is affable enough, but another mathematician, and Art bristles. Art is on the cusp of solving a notoriously intractable equation and success promises fame and fortune–he fears that this new man may be after his sister for the wrong reasons.

After a serious accident involves both men, Mimi is caught between them. Can she trust her heart to guide her to the truth?

In this delightful, bittersweet novel, Kara Gnodde explores how the answers to life’s questions–the bonds of family, and the calculations of the heart–follow a logic of their own.

Kara Gnodde grew up in Johannesburg on a diet of Dr Seuss and no TV. After graduating from the University of Cape Town, she joined Saatchis in London. She has lived in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and is settled back in the UK, where she lives with her husband and three children. Hearing a discussion on the radio about a maths problem that could change the world gave her a place to start THE THEORY OF (NOT QUITE) EVERYTHING, her debut novel. Kara is represented by Charlotte Seymour at Johnson and Alcock.