Literature, Mathematics, and Wafaa? IN THE SAME ROOM?? on the INTERNET?? ikr.
This repository serves as a documentation of my journey through multiple readings of Alone With You in the Ether. If you couldn’t tell yet, Alone With You in the Ether is one of my favourite books, right after The Forty Rules of Love, which has its irreplaceable position at the top of my Qalb. I’ve had 6 reads of “Alone With You in the Ether” so far. Each time, I approached it differently. It was only during my fifth read that I realised I had overlooked something monumental right at the beginning of the book. Subsequently, my sixth and my seventh (current) read are dedicated to that monumental something.
If you want more context/updates, run to my bookstagram :)
The first read was an ePub version, which, despite not offering the complete paperback experience, still managed to captivate me, making it my favourite book. For the second read, I fully immersed myself in the paperback version, foregoing annotations and analyses. I read it just for the vibes so that I could experience reading it for the first time again. The third read was a more focused endeavour, where I took mental notes of plot developments and significant features, and I underlined a few quotes. During the fourth read, I meticulously noted down everything I had mentally observed in the previous read and supplemented it with basic analyses.
It was during my fifth read that I stumbled upon something quite humbling (given I had already read the book 4 times at this point) and monumental at the beginning of the book - the mention of the Gödel universe (directly) and his incompleteness theorem (indirectly, and contradictorily). This realisation prompted me to question if there was a subtle connection between the theorems and the characters' mental states and relationships.
I mean…how did I not notice this earlier??
Of course. After asking questions, the only rational thing to do is to look for answers. So I dedicated my 6th read to investigating whether Gödel's theorems intersected with the main characters' thoughts and relationships, particularly within Aldo and Regan's dynamic.
And oh God, the subtle nuances…
(potential spoilers ahead)
I can’t even tell if I’m hallucinating or being delusional, but…they are there. Aldo the MMC, the Mathematician who (if we simplify things here) attempts to solve time travel theoretically. Regan, the FMC, who (MAJOR spoiler ahead) literally solves time travel in Aldo’s timeline…the mention of Gödel's universe at the beginning. The way Aldo and Regan are both (sorta) stuck in a CTC (Closed Timelike Curves)!!??? The fact that Aldo’s imaginative thesis (if exists) that the light cones in the Gödel universe travel methodically, perhaps even predictably, along hexagonal paths further complicates the concept of CTC (which already challenges our understanding of causality and temporal consistency, btw) and the hypothetical physics of this universe.
My seventh (current) read will ultimately be guided by the above. We’ll be speculating connections and drawing parallels (ik). All of the good stuff.
This repo will be my space to brain-dump, conduct research, and perform deeper analyses of "Alone with You in the Ether." I have been trying to write a review for this book since I first read it last year, but it’s so rich and Philosophical that I find it pretty hard to write a systematic review that magnificently captures the essence of the book. I guess it’s not that hard anymore hehe