Staff Pick
Alan Lightman tackles the gigantic task of explaining the universe in his new novel, Mr g. The latest theories in science and physics, along with a dose of theology, produce this slim novella that packs a punch. The narrator, Mr g, creates several universes and certain governing laws, then sits back and watches as nature takes over. Mulling over such mysteries as time, consciousness, free will, human suffering, and death, Mr g and his accidental byproduct of creation, the sinister Belhor, become a bit more entangled in creation than Mr g had first anticipated. It's evident that the writing chops Lightman displayed in Einstein's Dreams were no fluke. Wry, intelligent, inquisitive, and truly humorous, Mr g is a delightful novel. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
"As I remember, I had just woken up from a nap when I decided to create the universe."
So begins Alan Lightman’s playful and profound new novel, Mr g, the story of Creation as told by God. Barraged by the constant advisements and bickerings of Aunt Penelope and Uncle Deva, who live with their nephew in the shimmering Void, Mr g proceeds to create time, space, and matter. Then come stars, planets, animate matter, consciousness, and, finally, intelligent beings with moral dilemmas. Mr g is all powerful but not all knowing and does much of his invention by trial and error.
Even the best-laid plans can go awry, and Mr g discovers that with his creation of space and time come some unforeseen consequences—especially in the form of the mysterious Belhor, a clever and devious rival. An intellectual equal to Mr g, Belhor delights in provoking him: Belhor demands an explanation for the inexplicable, requests that the newly created intelligent creatures not be subject to rational laws, and maintains the necessity of evil. As Mr g watches his favorite universe grow into maturity, he begins to understand how the act of creation can change himself, the Creator.
With echoes of Calvino, Rushdie, and Saramago, combining science, theology, and moral philosophy, Mr g is a stunningly imaginative work that celebrates the tragic and joyous nature of existence on the grandest possible scale.
Review
"Here is the creation of the Universe and the young Creator who grapples with what he has made—and ultimately with responsibility and loss…a gem of a novel that is strange witty erudite and alive with Lightman's playful genius." Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Review
"This delightful novel takes the reader on a light hearted romp through the development of the universe from the Big Bang to its cold dark end, addressing along the way some of the big questions that inevitably arise from the development of intelligent life." Jerome Friedman, Nobel Prize-winning physicist
Review
"Though Lightman’s clever irreverence recalls Salman Rushdie and Kevin Brockmeier, his plainspoken style lends the book a fitting earnestness…Readers who don’t mind the liberties the author takes with the sacred might enjoy this scienced fiction." Library Journal
Review
"A scientific vision laced with the mirthful aura of divinity…aglow with wonder." Washington Post
Review
"With iridescent precision, fairy-tale wonder, and brainy humor, Lightman crafts an enthralling and provocative cosmic parable that offers a startlingly fresh perspective on the mysteries of the universe and the paradoxical human condition." Booklist (Starred Review),
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About the Author
Alan Lightman is the author of five previous novels, a book-length narrative poem, two collections of essays, and several books on science. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Granta, The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and Nature, among other publications. A theoretical physicist as well as a novelist, he has served on the faculties of Harvard and MIT, and was the first person to receive a dual faculty appointment at MIT in science and in the humanities.