The Newton Letter

About this book

A nearly perfectly fashioned work of art.Irish Times An unforgettably elegant tale of obsession and the fragile line between reason and desire. In this compact literary gem a historian retreats to a quiet cottage in rural Ireland to complete a biography of Isaac Newtonbut the work stalls when he becomes absorbed by a mysterious letter Newton wrote in 1693 hinting at a personal and philosophical crisis. As the historian tries to understand the letters meaning his own life begins to spiral. Drawn into the lives of the people around himCharlotte cool and distant; Ottilie impulsive and alluring; and Edward eccentric and watchfulhe starts to lose his grip on both his project and his perspective. Like Newton he is undone not by science but by the murky unmeasurable forces of the human heart. Banvilles prose is lyrical and precise and The Newton Letter is both a meditation on genius and a portrait of quiet unraveling. A must-read for fans of psychological fiction and literary elegance.