A review by pandact
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I found this because of Alex Kasman's MathFiction Database because who can resist a title like "Division By Zero?" I was primed to enjoy that story the most, but most of Ted Chiang's stories get stuck in my head for years.
The only reason I subtract half a star is that it's been a while and I'm not sure how it aged! I remember Division By Zero most clearly because it's the kind of story you have to reread...
The coolest part, for me, was the way each parallel narrative was part of a proof that 1=2, which was so meta! I disagree with people saying that they're doomed as a couple because the man's whole problem was how he couldn't relate to math research, but her disastrous discovery is something he can understand. The mathematician's arc is looking for something else to find meaning in, so why can't they be two people together now?
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