It tells the story of a housekeeper to a prominent maths professor, who due to an accident has been robbed of the ability to hold on to new memories for more than 80 minutes. He devises clever maths riddles based on her shoe size or her birthday and the numbers reveal a sheltering and poetic world to both the housekeeper. The professor can explain the world through the axioms, the riddles and the challenges posed by mathematical problems, and his interest carries on to the housekeeper and eventually her son. The professor may not remember what he had for breakfast, but his mind is still alive with elegant mathematical equations from the past.
I happened to check out a book club copy of this novel with eleven discussion questions at the end. The housekeeper and the professor by by yoko ogawa. The housekeeper and the professor is the new novel by japanese author yoko ogawa. It was a good book to read between books and the ladies of my group agreed. A novel and millions of other books are available for instant. The housekeeper and the professor ogawa, yoko news of the. A story i dont want to say a lot about, because too much talking will diminish it. He is a brilliant math professor, with a peculiar problemsince a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only 80 minutes of shortterm memory. Of all the countless things my son and i learned from. The trio begins to resemble a family, with an unspoken understanding of each other that transcends language and convention. Trouble calls, though, when the sisterinlaw, who has her own complicated history with the professor, misinterprets the housekeeper s kindness as something more devious. The housekeeper and the professor was the last book i read with my book club this 20152016 school year. And every morning, as the professor and the housekeeper are introduced to each other anew, a strange and beautiful relationship bl he is a brilliant math professor with a peculiar problemever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of shortterm memory.
The housekeeper and the professor is a contemporary novel by yoko ogawa in which the young single mother, the housekeeper, comes to care for the elderly and amnesiac professor with her son, root, learning much about life and mathematics in the process. The three of them create an unconventional family with their own rhythms and traditions. Reading group guide the housekeeper and the professor a. The housekeeper and the professor book by yoko ogawa. The housekeeper and the professor by yoko ogawa penguin.
The housekeeper and the professor summary supersummary. Each morning the professor and the housekeeper meet again for the first time. Housekeeper and the professor by yoko ogawa the housekeeper and the professor is an e join us for a vibrant and faithfilled discussion on the 4th tuesday of each month. Last december the death of a man named henry gustav molaison made headlines in the new york times and around the world. He lives in a dingy tworoom apartment, and his suit jacket is covered with reminder notes he scribbles to himself. The housekeeper and the professor book king county. I mean, im not anti math, but its a means to an end, for mestellar for balancing a check book or doubling a recipe, but a thing of beauty. I plumped for the housekeeper and the professor as my book club choice. As root and the housekeeper grow and move forward in their lives, the professor stays in one place in fact he is deteriorating, moving backwards.
He is a brilliant math professor with a peculiar problemever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of shortterm. She is an astute young housekeeper, with a tenyearold son, who is hired to care for him. Winner of the yomiuri literature prizewinner of the honya taisho the booksellers prizewinner of the sugaku shuppansho from the japanese academy of mathematicsa japan foundation selection a publishing phenomenon in japanand a heartwarming story that will change the way we all see math, baseball, memory, and each other she is. The housekeeper and the professor is a rich, multilayered novel that offers much to discuss. It was published in august 2003, by shinchosha and was the first recipient of the honya taisho award japan booksellers award. Yoko ogawas the housekeeper and the professor is an enchanting story about what it means to. For those mathematically inclined, theres insight into the theory behind the numbers.
It tells the story of an intelligent, if uneducated young woman, a single mother working as a housekeeper to support herself and her ten year old son. For fun i had someone choose a number between 1 and 11. How does ogawa depict the culture of contemporary japan in the housekeeper and the professor. Narrated by the housekeeper, the characters are known only as the professor and root, the housekeeper s 10yearold son, nicknamed by the professor. He devises clever maths riddles based on her shoe size or her birthday and the numbers reveal a sheltering and poetic world to both the housekeeper and her tenyearold son. Yoko ogawas the housekeeper and the professor is an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family. The housekeeper and the professor audiobook by yoko. The housekeeper and the professor ogawa, yoko a math genius with an 80 minute memory, a housekeeper somewhat reluctantly assigned to his house, and an 8 year old boy, form family that goes beyond the norm. The housekeeper and the professor is a wisp of a book, but an affecting one. The housekeeper and the professor yoko ogawa, 2003 eng. Yoko ogawa he is a brilliant maths professor who lives with only eighty minutes of shortterm memory. The professor is a number theory expert with a traumatic brain injury. This summary of the housekeeper and the professor includes a complete plot overview spoilers included.
Though he cannot hold memories for long his brain is like a tape that begins to erase itself every eighty minutes, the professor s mind is still alive with elegant equations from the past. Between them, a strange, beautiful relationship blossoms. My apologies to those in my book club who were waiting for this summary. With this being an intergenerational relationship novel about a brilliant math teacher plus the intriguing memory premise, it should have been a home run for me. The housekeeper and the professor is a remarkable book, by the japanese author yoko ogawa, translated by stephen snyder. The housekeeper and the professor brown girl reading. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. She is a sensitive and astute young housekeeper who is entrusted to take care of him. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. And every morning, as the professor and the housekeeper are introduced to. Book club questionsthe housekeeper and the professor by yoko ogawa. And every morning, as the professor and the housekeeper are introduced to each other anew, a strange and beautiful relationship blossoms between them. Ogawa has a gift in looking into the way the human soul grasps the. It is also, in a sense, a story about the simple experience of getting to know someone, but with a twist.
On monday the book group got together to discuss the housekeeper and the professor by yoko ogawa. In the housekeeper and the professor, yoko ogawa tells an intimate story about family, the nature of memory, and the poetry of mathematics. The housekeeper and the professor tells of the adventures, such as they are, of the remarkable virtual family formed by the professors new cook and cleaner, the single mother of a 10yearold boy whom the professor calls root because his flat. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Ogawa is an author whom i have only sampled through her interconnected short story collection, revenge, which is vivid even two and a half years later. The housekeeper and the professor books can save a life. The narrator befriends the professor, who is especially taken with her young son whom he nicknames root, because the flat top of his head reminded him of the squareroot sign, and gains an. A young, unwed mother takes a job as a housekeeper for a brilliant professor of mathematics who only has eighty minutes of shortterm memory. Japanese author yoko ogawas the housekeeper and the professor was a book club pick for february. The book is narrated by the housekeeper of the title, a single mother employed by an agency, who is assigned a new client. About this book in the housekeeper and the professor, yoko ogawa tells an intimate story about family, the nature of memory, and the poetry of mathematics.
Discussionthe housekeeper and the professor goodreads. The housekeeper and the professor by yoko ogawa, 9781784875442, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. It was a good book to read between books and the ladies of my group agreed that it was like a breath of fresh air. Buy the housekeeper and the professor by ogawa, yoko, snyder, stephen from amazons fiction books store. In what ways does it seem different from western culture. An original, beautifully written story about a brilliant man who must live with only eighty minutes of shortterm memory and the astute young housekeeper who cares for him. The professor may not remember what he had for breakfast, but his mind is still alive with elegant equations from the past. The housekeeper and the professor by ogawa, yoko penguin. The housekeeper and the professor, hakase no ai shita suushiki literally the professors beloved equation is a novel by yoko ogawa set in modernday japan. She is an astute young housekeeper with a 10yearold son who is hired to care for the professor.
The housekeeper and the professor by yoko ogawa is a quiet story youll want to experience just for what it is. The housekeeper becomes more than a housekeeper as she is the professors main caretaker. I wish i had a teacher who taught me to enjoy mathto see the oddities and the fun. And yet, the bond among the three of them grows strong. Good shepherd lutheran church, gaithersburg maryland.
He is a brilliant math professor with a peculiar problem ever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of shortterm memory. The housekeeper and the professor by yoko ogawa every friday, times writers give their reaction to the current book club title. The following author biography and list of questions about the housekeeper and the professor are intended as resources to aid individual readers and book. Amanda heller, the boston globe the housekeeper and the professor is strangely charming, flecked with enough wit and mystery to keep us engaged throughout. It was published in august 2003, by shinchosha and was the first recipient of the honya taisho award. She reintroduces herself to him each morning, and he pins notes all over his suit to try and give himself context for his day.