A woman, part of the quirky and brilliant Severy clan, must deliver her deceased grandfather's secret equation safely to a trusted colleague before it ends up in the wrong hands.
Despite its darker hues—including the fulfillment of Isaac’s prediction—The Last Equation of Isaac Severy is full of delight. Though Ms. Jacobs’s writing has echoes of Thomas Pynchon, Nathanael West and J.D. Salinger, her terrific book displays in abundance a magic all its own.
Is Jacobs about to lead readers on a choose-your-own-adventure chase? In a way, yes. This debut mystery is fun but not necessarily light ... Nova Jacobs has penned a novel that is anything but clueless, filled with consideration and compassion for the different levels of human damage and comprehension.
This debut mystery is fun but not necessarily light ... If, occasionally, going down the rabbit hole with Hazel seems digressive, that is all right. It staves off some heart-rending sad realities on the surface. Hazel and Alex get closer and closer to understanding Grandfather Isaac’s 'last equation,' and it is a doozy — one that might explain Isaac’s death and many others as well. Nova Jacobs has penned a novel that is anything but clueless, filled with consideration and compassion for the different levels of human damage and comprehension.
