Relativity
A “beautifully written, heartbreaking” (S. J. Watson) debut novel about a gifted boy who discovers the truth about his past, his overprotective single mother who tries desperately to shield him from it, and the father he has never met who has unexpectedly returned.

“Original, compassionate, cleverly plotted, and genuinely difficult to put down.” -Graeme Simsion, New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project

Twelve-year-old Ethan Forsythe, an exceptionally talented boy obsessed with physics and astronomy, has been raised alone by his mother in Sydney, Australia. Claire, a former professional ballerina, has been a wonderful parent to Ethan, but he's becoming increasingly curious about his father's absence in his life. Claire is fiercely protective of her talented, vulnerable son-and of her own feelings. But when Ethan falls ill, tied to a tragic event that occurred during his infancy, her tightly-held world is split open.

Thousands of miles away on the western coast of Australia, Mark is trying to forget about the events that tore his family apart, but an unexpected call forces him to confront his past and return home. When Ethan secretly intercepts a letter from Mark to Claire, he unleashes long-suppressed forces that-like gravity-pull the three together again, testing the limits of love and forgiveness.

Told from the alternating points of view of Ethan and each of his parents, Relativity is a poetic and soul-searing exploration of unbreakable bonds, irreversible acts, the limits of science, and the magnitude of love.
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Relativity
A “beautifully written, heartbreaking” (S. J. Watson) debut novel about a gifted boy who discovers the truth about his past, his overprotective single mother who tries desperately to shield him from it, and the father he has never met who has unexpectedly returned.

“Original, compassionate, cleverly plotted, and genuinely difficult to put down.” -Graeme Simsion, New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project

Twelve-year-old Ethan Forsythe, an exceptionally talented boy obsessed with physics and astronomy, has been raised alone by his mother in Sydney, Australia. Claire, a former professional ballerina, has been a wonderful parent to Ethan, but he's becoming increasingly curious about his father's absence in his life. Claire is fiercely protective of her talented, vulnerable son-and of her own feelings. But when Ethan falls ill, tied to a tragic event that occurred during his infancy, her tightly-held world is split open.

Thousands of miles away on the western coast of Australia, Mark is trying to forget about the events that tore his family apart, but an unexpected call forces him to confront his past and return home. When Ethan secretly intercepts a letter from Mark to Claire, he unleashes long-suppressed forces that-like gravity-pull the three together again, testing the limits of love and forgiveness.

Told from the alternating points of view of Ethan and each of his parents, Relativity is a poetic and soul-searing exploration of unbreakable bonds, irreversible acts, the limits of science, and the magnitude of love.
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Relativity

Relativity

by Antonia Hayes

Narrated by Antonia Hayes

Unabridged — 13 hours, 31 minutes

Relativity

Relativity

by Antonia Hayes

Narrated by Antonia Hayes

Unabridged — 13 hours, 31 minutes

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Overview

A “beautifully written, heartbreaking” (S. J. Watson) debut novel about a gifted boy who discovers the truth about his past, his overprotective single mother who tries desperately to shield him from it, and the father he has never met who has unexpectedly returned.

“Original, compassionate, cleverly plotted, and genuinely difficult to put down.” -Graeme Simsion, New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project

Twelve-year-old Ethan Forsythe, an exceptionally talented boy obsessed with physics and astronomy, has been raised alone by his mother in Sydney, Australia. Claire, a former professional ballerina, has been a wonderful parent to Ethan, but he's becoming increasingly curious about his father's absence in his life. Claire is fiercely protective of her talented, vulnerable son-and of her own feelings. But when Ethan falls ill, tied to a tragic event that occurred during his infancy, her tightly-held world is split open.

Thousands of miles away on the western coast of Australia, Mark is trying to forget about the events that tore his family apart, but an unexpected call forces him to confront his past and return home. When Ethan secretly intercepts a letter from Mark to Claire, he unleashes long-suppressed forces that-like gravity-pull the three together again, testing the limits of love and forgiveness.

Told from the alternating points of view of Ethan and each of his parents, Relativity is a poetic and soul-searing exploration of unbreakable bonds, irreversible acts, the limits of science, and the magnitude of love.

Editorial Reviews

SJ Watson

"Relativity is wonderful, a beautifully written, heartbreaking novel that I feel certain will find the huge audience it deserves."

four-star review RT Book Reviews

Wrought with depth, emotion and intricately crafted language, this novel is captivating and heart-wrenching. A painful topic becomes the foundation for a beautiful story when written with such compassionate precision, leaving readers contemplating the depth of human forgiveness and the gravity that binds us together.

The Independent (UK)

"[A] confident debut novel. The beautiful storytelling unravels layer-by-layer…making it an absorbing read that will stay with you.

Graeme Simsion

Original, compassionate, cleverly plotted, and genuinely difficult to put down. The premise is compelling and the plot twists and turns without ever feeling forced. This novel is an intelligent, honest and compassionate look at people and relationships under stress: the shocking revelation [in it] is tempered with real insight as to how such things happen.”

NY Journal of Books

[A] compulsive, compassionate, and intelligent novel. It grabs you from the jarring opening page and on the last page you gasp at the fitting paean of appreciation for the force of gravity and how Hayes links the implications of physics to the plot.

Christos Tsiolkas

Relativity is a novel of assured and measured empathy, a story of familial love and familial hurt that is fair, honest and remarkably non-judgemental. Hayes is a convincing writer and a true storyteller: her characters are alive.”

Booklist

With an ingenious premise, this cleverly plotted, well-executed novel, set in Australia, dramatically examines a family in extremis and contemplates how the past can poison the present with devastating effect until the antidote, love, appears.

Women's Day

"[A] moving novel."

Booklist

With an ingenious premise, this cleverly plotted, well-executed novel, set in Australia, dramatically examines a family in extremis and contemplates how the past can poison the present with devastating effect until the antidote, love, appears.

San Jose Mercury News

"In her first novel, Hayes deftly weaves diverse themes of science, family secrets and the gravitational pull of love among generations."

Kirkus Reviews

2016-02-17
An Australian family struggles to mend its rifts in time and space. There is no doubt that Ethan Forsythe is a unique and brilliant 12-year-old boy. Though he's not on the autism spectrum, he seems to possess the qualities of a savant: he appears to see the physics of our world, from sound waves to velocity. While one might think that unlocking the secrets of the universe would be cause for celebration, for Ethan, these abilities appear to stem from a brief, violent act that occurred when he was an infant. In an instant, both Ethan's brain and his family were irreparably altered. Over the years, his mother, Claire, has sacrificed both her career as a ballet dancer and her marriage to protect young Ethan from the truth. All the way across Australia, Ethan's father, Mark, has attempted to erase the tragic events from his mind. But when Mark learns that his father is about to die, he ventures back to Sydney and back into Ethan's and Claire's lives. Together, they cautiously dip their toes into family life as they try to make sense of the past and speak honestly of the one tumultuous moment that ripped them apart. Though troubled, Mark is a multifaceted and complex character seeking redemption. Though hurt, Ethan and Claire approach him with a gradual softness. While Hayes is often quite successful at weaving the language of science through her prose, occasionally the references appear stiff and forced. The narrative is strongest when the characters interact earnestly with one another, as a broken family trying to forge new bonds, instead of when the moments between them are analyzed and dissected. This is a family that the reader can root for. A charming and fresh debut placing a family's secrets in the great expanse of the universe.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940171206925
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: 05/03/2016
Edition description: Unabridged
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