Brilliant, young physicist Helen thinks she knows what she’s signing up for when she sets out for the Rubin Institute Plymouth with husband Hew in tow. There’s very little that’s appealing about the university, which was created as a landing pad for disgraced scholars. Set in an odd little corner of the Northeast, the institution is as remote as it is despised.
Why would a smart, accomplished woman like Helen willingly enlist at (the appropriately acronymed) RIP, putting herself daily on a campus crawling with some of the most offensive men academia has to offer? It’s all in the name of her work — and in the name of her desire to win a Nobel Prize. Alas, it’s where her partner in physics has found himself following a sex scandal.
As Helen tries unsuccessfully to remain focused on her work, and as the connection between her and Hew dissolves more and more, the ulterior motives of those around them come to light. The depths of despicableness should come as no surprise, knowing all we do about the denizens of RIP. Still, as the novel unfolds each turn feels as fresh as the first page. How to Win a Nobel Prize is an entirely satisfying, sardonic read that will likely drum up all kinds of conversation among your book club.
How I Won a Nobel Prize
by Julius Taranto
Read an excerpt.
There is so much to peel back throughout How I Won a Nobel Prize. Stirring up thoughts about ethics, physics, relationships, and more, this book is the perfect subject of book club conversations. For a kickoff to your conversation, consider one of these starters and see where it takes you.
- How I Won a Nobel Prize takes a very sardonic perspective on the possible ethics of the pursuit of personal progress. It begs the question: How far would you go for the pursuit of success? How far would be too far for you?
- The circumstances of RIP would test even the most stable relationship’s foundation. Do Hew and Helen believe their relationship to be stable and good upon arriving at RIP? Or do they arrive with full awareness of its possible fissures? Should Helen have brought Hew with her? Why or why not?
- The details of the offenses of many of RIP’s residents are casually dropped inline throughout the novel. How important was it to you to understand the scope of their wrongdoings while experiencing the novel? Do you wish you had more information? Which characters or reference to these wrongdoings in the novel brought to your mind elements of real-world people?
- “The popular vision, at the beginning, was of an academic prison colony where the worst-behaved of great minds would live out their days, closed off from the pleasures of civilized life.… The enticing promise the Institute made to faculty was: No Code of Conduct, no Human Resources, only Your Work.” Could RIP exist today, in real life, in our society? Should it? Why or why not? What parallels can you draw between RIP and other existing establishments in the real world?
- Throughout the novel, we’re often taken into Helen’s mind as her stream of consciousness moves from topic to topic. Did these deviations from the linear plot distract or delight you? How so? What did you like most about the writer’s style? Was there anything that didn’t work well for you?
An unwilling — and perhaps unwitting? — vegetarian, Helen’s arrival at RIP is sustained with a bespoke lentil salad. We imagine it was absolutely delightful, in spite of Helen’s lack of enthusiasm for the plant-based diet that Hew has imposed on her. If you’re craving something satisfying, crisp, and packed with vegetarian goodness, you’ve got to try the lentil salad from Love & Lemons. Radishes, cucumbers, a bit of zing — it’s got it all. Make a batch and keep it for the week, or bring a big bowl along to book club to share with the group.
“The air smelled electric, like autumn and white wine.” This line from Helen elicited such a visceral response in this reader, dropping us into her experience immediately. With autumn in the air, we’re reaching for a seasonally appropriate white, landing on this Substance Chardonnay. It’s a full-bodied white that brings to mind some of our favorite things about autumn.
Get the recipe.
We had a few questions for author Julius Taranto. Read on for insight into his perspective, inspiration, and more.
Page & Pairing: Without giving too much away, can you share a little bit about your inspiration for the Rubin Institute Plymouth and its ethically questionable cast of characters?
Julius Taranto: It started as a thought experiment, based on the idea that we were all still living alongside professors and celebrities that our society wanted to be rid of. What if all of these people had a place to go? But then, what if they liked life more on their island than with us? And finally, who might have to go to their island for reasons a reader could sympathize with — and what would happen when she gets there?
P&P: What element or elements of Hew and Helen's dynamic are most fascinating to you, as their inventor?
JT: One of the driving conflicts in their relationship is that Hew is very politically engaged, while Helen wants very much to live a life free of politics. It’s a rich dynamic, I think, because it reflects the ambivalence that a lot of us have internally: sometimes we want to take to the streets for a political cause, and other times we just want to be left alone.
P&P: There's no small amount of technical info shared from Helen's work throughout the novel. Can you offer us a little insight into your research on this front?
JT: The research took some reading and a lot of talking to my genius physicist friend on the phone. We’ve known each other since ninth grade. Figuring out the science of this book became a fun project for us to do together. Our joint project had to be one of mine, because I don’t know anything that would be remotely helpful in the work he does.