THE SQUARE ROOT OF SUMMER

Narrator Katy Sobey immerses listeners in the quandaries of 17-year-old Gottie, who is fascinated by theoretical physics and complex math. But these passions don't aid her attempts to untangle her feelings of love, loss, and grief. String theory can't help her understand her closest friend's moving away and not communicating, or a sudden relationship breakup, or, worst of all, her beloved grandfather's death. Sobey balances the smatterings of theory by keeping listeners emotionally connected to Gottie's memories, which she continually relives. Especially effective is the way Sobey balances the story's magical realism with the tension building over how Gottie will handle the anniversary of her grandfather's death. S.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2016]