A Certain Ambiguity: A Mathematical Novel
By Gaurav Suri and Hartosh Singh Bal
Book review by William Campillo
Book review by William Campillo
A Certain Ambiguity is the fictional account of Stanford undergraduate Ravi Kapoor, who has come to the United States to study economics. The book begins in India, through the eyes of young Ravi as he recalls memories of his relationship with his mathematician grandfather. It was through mathematics that Ravi’s grandfather inspires him to become curious about numbers. The book jumps ahead to Ravi’s student years and his pivotal final semesters at Stanford
The unfolding story of Ravi’s grandfather, who visits the United states in the early part of the 20th century, serves as the backdrop for Ravi’s own present day life. Early on, Ravi learns that his grandfather was jailed while visiting the United states in the year 1919. Ravi begins a quest to understand why this happened and why he, nor any of his other family members, ever knew about it. Ravi turns to public records and newspaper microfilm to begin his research. Meanwhile Ravi has his own important life decisions to make. This seems like a good setting for a story of family, beliefs, and life, but, this is really a book about mathematics. It is, in fact, a novel about mathematics – and family, beliefs, and life.
Ravi decides to take a course in mathematics, on a whim, and finds himself being drawn in by the charismatic professor. He feels his curiosity being conjured up in the same way his grandfather was able to back in India. As you become involved in the events of the story the author begins to lay out a sequence of mathematical ideas that illustrate the “beauty”, as he describes it, and the importance of mathematics in the human experience. The author also explains that these ideas are “connecting to some philosophical and religious ideas that we are setting up later in the book”. And the authors really do set up a collision of mathematics, religion, and philosophy that test the beliefs of the characters in this book as well as the reader.
The way in which mathematical and philosophical ideas are intertwined throughout the story challenges the reader to, at one level, understand the concepts being discussed, and at another level, causes one to question how strongly entrenched we are in our own beliefs. Ideas of religion and philosophy challenge one another in this book, but mathematics also has an equally important role in this struggle to find truth.
Gaurav Suri, one of the authors, remarked in an interview that, “one of the hallmarks (of civilization), in my eyes, is mathematics”. The author uses Euclidian geometry, infinity, set theory and the intentional and unintentional aftermath of this work as evidence of both the beautiful and the meaningful contributions to humanity. The development of the theories that followed are examples of human ingenuity that eventually have a climactic role in the events of the story.
After reading this book you will have a greater appreciation for mathematics as an academic discipline, as an art form, and as the elusive object of many quests for truth and meaning in life. The fact that this book is able to make parallels to religion and philosophy drives home this point even further. For those who love mathematics and those who can appreciate a good story with a rewarding outcome A Certain Ambiguity is a book that will satisfy at both levels.
The unfolding story of Ravi’s grandfather, who visits the United states in the early part of the 20th century, serves as the backdrop for Ravi’s own present day life. Early on, Ravi learns that his grandfather was jailed while visiting the United states in the year 1919. Ravi begins a quest to understand why this happened and why he, nor any of his other family members, ever knew about it. Ravi turns to public records and newspaper microfilm to begin his research. Meanwhile Ravi has his own important life decisions to make. This seems like a good setting for a story of family, beliefs, and life, but, this is really a book about mathematics. It is, in fact, a novel about mathematics – and family, beliefs, and life.
Ravi decides to take a course in mathematics, on a whim, and finds himself being drawn in by the charismatic professor. He feels his curiosity being conjured up in the same way his grandfather was able to back in India. As you become involved in the events of the story the author begins to lay out a sequence of mathematical ideas that illustrate the “beauty”, as he describes it, and the importance of mathematics in the human experience. The author also explains that these ideas are “connecting to some philosophical and religious ideas that we are setting up later in the book”. And the authors really do set up a collision of mathematics, religion, and philosophy that test the beliefs of the characters in this book as well as the reader.
The way in which mathematical and philosophical ideas are intertwined throughout the story challenges the reader to, at one level, understand the concepts being discussed, and at another level, causes one to question how strongly entrenched we are in our own beliefs. Ideas of religion and philosophy challenge one another in this book, but mathematics also has an equally important role in this struggle to find truth.
Gaurav Suri, one of the authors, remarked in an interview that, “one of the hallmarks (of civilization), in my eyes, is mathematics”. The author uses Euclidian geometry, infinity, set theory and the intentional and unintentional aftermath of this work as evidence of both the beautiful and the meaningful contributions to humanity. The development of the theories that followed are examples of human ingenuity that eventually have a climactic role in the events of the story.
After reading this book you will have a greater appreciation for mathematics as an academic discipline, as an art form, and as the elusive object of many quests for truth and meaning in life. The fact that this book is able to make parallels to religion and philosophy drives home this point even further. For those who love mathematics and those who can appreciate a good story with a rewarding outcome A Certain Ambiguity is a book that will satisfy at both levels.
