Item 202

When she was a child, Charlotte’s father committed suicide, unable to cope with his wife’s death. His actions were largely motivated by a pop-science author’s views on the structure of the universe. As an adult scientist, Charlotte dedicates her research to disproving that author’s theories.

Egan dramatizes a real-life theoretical debate over the shape of the universe, regarding orientable and non-orientable kinds of three-dimensional space. Charlotte is a compelling and relatable protagonist with noble, if also a little selfish, personal goals. This is also one of those Egan stories where the author leaps down a mathematical rabbit-hole (complete with 3D diagrams), and the reader’s level of enjoyment is likely to depend on one’s love of geometry relative to the author’s. Still, “Didicosm” is a solid story, if not among Egan’s very best.

Egan offers an even more thorough – if occasionally head-spinning – account of what a didicosm is on his website, for those interested in further understanding the concept.