The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything

Author Kara Gnodde
Narrator Pippa Bennett-Warner
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Run Time 10 hours and 17 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Contemporary romance, Family life fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Love and relationships.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

'Tender, unique and uplifting, it explores sibling love, romantic love and the love between friends. Such an accomplished debut' – Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flat Share

'Gorgeous' – Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of The Man Who Didn't Call

This audio edition includes an exclusive Q&A with the author, Kara Gnodde.

Like circles of a Venn diagram, Mimi and Art Brotherton have always come as a pair. Devoted siblings, they're bound together in their childhood home by the tragic death of their parents.

Art believes that people - including his sister - are incapable of making sensible decisions when it comes to love. That’s what algorithms are for.

Mimi knows that her brother is a mathematical genius. But she believes that maths isn’t the answer to everything. Not quite. Especially when it comes to love.

Still, when Mimi begins her search for a soulmate, Art's insistence that she follow a strict mathematical plan seems reasonable. The arrival of Frank, however - a romantic stargazer who is definitely not algorithm-approved - challenges the siblings' relationship to breaking point. As their equilibrium falters, Art's mistrust of Frank grows, but so do Mimi's feelings. Something about Frank doesn't quite add up, and only Art can see it . . .

The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything by Kara Gnodde is a tender, intelligent and uplifting novel about brothers and sisters, true love in all its forms, and how life is more than just a numbers game . . .

'My book of the year . . . Smart, funny, tender' – Kate Weinberg, bestselling author of The Truants

'A delightfully clever tale of first love, loss and an unforgettable sibling relationship' – Marianne Cronin, author of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

Critics Review

The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything is such a special novel. Tender, unique and uplifting, it explores sibling love, romantic love and the love between friends. Such an accomplished debut.

Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flat Share and The Road Trip

[A] sunny debut, in which heart and mind must work together to shed light on a family secret

Daily Mail

Gorgeous

Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn't Call and The Love of My Life

The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything is (quite) wonderful. Happily, no maths is required to find Kara Gnodde’s writing – rich with metaphor and passion – totally absorbing. A delight

Katherine Heiny, author of Early Morning Riser

Poignant and compelling

Woman's Weekly

A perfectly balanced equation of head and heart. My book of the year. I fell in love with Mimi and Art, and the smart, funny, tender world that Gnodde creates

Kate Weinberg, author of The Truants

I was thoroughly invested in both Art and Mimi and emotionally devastated by the twists that lay ahead. Debut author, Kara Gnodde, is one to watch

Red Magazine

Quirky, warm and uplifting, we loved this

Fabulous Magazine

A beautiful book full of life, love and maths

Matson Taylor, bestselling author of The Miseducation of Evie Hepworth

If this novel about mathematicians were a math problem, and Kara Gnodde set out to prove that love is varied, unpredictable, and infinite in its capacity to expand, then she’s done it. I adored this quirky, big-hearted book

Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

A delightfully clever tale of first love, loss and an unforgettable sibling relationship

Marianne Cronin, author of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

Kara Gnodde’s debut novel is an exquisite piece of writing that is as intricate and beautiful as mathematics itself. Do not miss this one

Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script

Drawing comparisons to The Rosie Project and Lessons in Chemistry, this debut is a poignant and uplifting tale of love, logic and the devotion between brothers and sisters

Culturefly

The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything is a moving exploration of the bond between siblings and the long shadow of tragic events on the way they navigate relationships. It’s also a compelling novel about the many ways that we protect the people we love

Balli Kaur Jaswal, author of Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

[A] feel-good novel that’s meticulously researched, with quirky, well-rounded characters. Plot twists are woven in amongst astute psychological insights, making this a story I gobbled up in just a few sittings.

Florence Knapp, author of The Names

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