Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Antiphony

Recently I had the pleasure of reading Chris Katsaropoulos' new novel, Antiphony. The following is a synopsis from the publisher's website:
Theodore Reveil is one of the leading lights in String Theory physics, on his way to present his latest research at a triumphant meeting of his colleagues from around the world, when he realizes he has lost the notes for his presentation. At the podium, in the midst of his distraction and confusion, he poses the question: “What if the universe, instead of being a giant machine, is really a giant thought?”
Then he crosses a line which he can never step back over again, saying, “The infinities and singularities in these equations may be telling us that what we are missing is unknowable in terms of physical science. These unsolvable terms in our equations may be roadsigns pointing to consciousness—to God—as the missing piece of the puzzle."
Antiphony traces the downward spiral of Theodore’s career in the wake of what he has said, and the remarkable transformation that leads him into the depths of madness . . . or the revelation of the Final Theory, the ultimate secret of the universe.
As in his previous novel Fragile,  Mr. Katsaropoulos has crafted a work of literary fiction in which the poetry overflows into the prose. Unlike Fragile, which has a deliberately fractured structure, Antiphony is like a running stream of consciousness, drawing into itself the mysteries of the universe. After a lifetime of scientific study, fully absorbed in the created world, Theodore Reveil has a mysterious experience which makes him for the first time ponder the metaphysical. One is not quite certain if he is having a mild stroke or a psychotic break or a vision; whatever it is, it results in an epiphany which points to God as the source of all science, wisdom, and beauty. Theodore finds that to dare to mention the possibility of God to his colleagues is to bring his career to a screeching halt. He becomes an example of a man who loses his life but saves his soul. Combining the transcendent with the mundane, the author explores the metamorphosis which occurs when modern man is forced to acknowledge the Divine.


(*Note: This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for my honest opinion.)

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