This is a beautiful, amazing book. Prime numbers (only divisible by themselves and one) become increasingly rare as one moves up the number line. Mattea talks about twin primes - primes that are very close together but can never touch ( like 3/5, 11/13) - he sees himself as a prime number. His solitude comes from a tragedy in his childhood which will forever define and confine his life. In school he meets a fellow prime - Alice -who he sees as his twin prime. They are as close as primes can be without touching - for that is what they can never do. It is a mathematical impossibility - Alice also suffers an unforgiving tragedy as a young child but is a slightly less damaged than Mattea. Mattea's solitude and anguish are difficult to watch, he is so separate from others we fear he will break into thousands of pieces if touched. I wanted these two to find each other so much. The novel feels like heartbreak , like regret, like everything I ever said and wanted to take back as soon as it was out. This novel is poetry. I can't wait for this author to write more. This is a first novel from a writer who really matters. I love it.