The Speed of Light
A Novel

Gillian Anderson made me do it. Even more than the idea to dye my hair red, this was the best idea she ever planted in my brain. The first time I read this book I cried and so I did on the second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. The voice of the three characters are so distinct that I barely needed the d......more

"There are so many languages, and so few words to say what we mean" - just one of the lines from this book that struck a chord with me. Brother and sister Julian and Paula Perel grew up in a home with deep sadness. Their father, a holocaust survivor, had memories too grim to share, but his children s......more

2.5 stars, grudgingly rounded up to 3 because I really couldn't give this the same rating I gave to "A Thousand Splendid Suns." (See what happens once you start with grade inflation?) Initially, I found the rapidly shifting viewpoints jarring and annoying, and I felt like I just wanted to get into on......more

I loved this book. I think it is a debut novel, too...quite an achievement. Three very individual and interesting main characters: Julian, a reclusive young man who is something of a scientific prodigy; his sister Paula, an up-and-coming opera singer; and Sola, a young woman from an unnamed South or......more

The novel follows the perspectives of three main characters as they cope with personal and familial tragedies. Paula, an opera singer, begins the novel buoyant and free, flying off to Hungary for a singing opportunity. She leaves behind her reclusive brother, Julian, who spends his day writing scien......more