Independent Publishers Group Logo

Sign up today...
for featured titles, special offers, bestsellers, and more, in your inbox!

Subscribe to receive special offers, monthly books suggestions, seasonal selections, and more!

Close
An Elegant Theory
An Elegant Theory

An Elegant Theory

FICTION

320 Pages, 5.5 x 8.25

Formats: Trade Paper, EPUB

Trade Paper, $14.95 (CA $18.99) (US $14.95)

Publication Date: November 2016

ISBN 9781771680998

Rights: WOR

Central Avenue Publishing (Nov 2016)

eBook

eBook Editions Available

Will it work on my eReader?
Price: $14.95
 
 

Overview

"A delightfully intelligent psychological thriller, Noah Milligan’s debut novel is as ambitious and complex as its main character, Coulter Zahn, who aspires to nothing less than a complete understanding of the universe. An Elegant Theory intrigues the mind, thrills the senses, and keeps the reader engaged straight through to the surprising ending. An auspicious debut."Rilla Askew, author, Kind of Kin

Coulter Zahn sees reality differently than others. Much like light can theoretically be in all places at once, Coulter sees multiple versions of his life. A promising PhD candidate at MIT, he and his young wife are nervously expecting their first child. When his dissertation comes under intense criticism, his estranged mother returns, and Sara tells him she's leaving him, Coulter’s already delicate mental state becomes further fragmented.

One evening, with his life and mental health unraveling, Coulter loses control, irreparably changing the course of the lives around him. But the very next morning, he catches a break in his research, discovering the true shape of the universe. Influenced by those around him and his own untrustworthy psyche, Coulter must decide whether to face the consequences of his actions or finish his research, perhaps making the greatest contribution to science since Einstein’s theory of relativity.

An existential psychological thriller, An Elegant Theory explores how the construction of memory and consciousness can shape motive, guilt, and identity through the lens of a modern-day mad-scientist motif.

"An Elegant Theory is a vibrant puzzle of a novel, an unstoppable force—full of twists, turns, and surprises while remaining fully grounded in real life to today. Surely, this is the start of a great literary career."Jessica Anya Blau, author, The Trouble with Lexie

"An excellent novel for discussion with a group or book club . . . . I believe Noah Milligan is an author to keep an eye on in the future."booksandpals.blogspot.ca

Noah Milligan's other books:
Five Hundred Poor
Into Captivity They Will Go

Reviews

"A delightfully intelligent psychological thriller, Noah Milligan's debut novel is as ambitious and complex as its main character, Coulter Zahn, who aspires to nothing less than a complete understanding of the universe. An Elegant Theory intrigues the mind, thrills the senses, and keeps the reader engaged straight through to the surprising ending. An auspicious debut."—Rilla Askew, author, Kind of Kin


"An Elegant Theory is a vibrant puzzle of a novel, an unstoppable force—full of twists, turns, and surprises while remaining fully grounded in real life to today. Surely, this is the start of a great literary career."—Jessica Anya Blau, author, The Trouble with Lexie


"An Elegant Theory is a remarkably suspenseful literary novel -- deeply felt, and truly fascinating. Noah Milligan's ambitious debut novel is a page-turning story of obsession, and the human mind stretched to its limit, where we discover both the remarkable power and fragility of our brains."—Peter Mountford, author, A Young Man's Guide to Late Capitalism and The Dismal Science


"An Elegant Theory is a remarkably suspenseful literary novel -- deeply felt, and truly fascinating. Noah Milligan's ambitious debut novel is a page-turning story of obsession, and the human mind stretched to its limit, where we discover both the remarkable power and fragility of our brains." —Peter Mountford, author, A Young Man's Guide to Late Capitalism and The Dismal Science


"An Elegant Theory is a literary Rorschach test, a mind-bending ride, in which 'real' conclusions are elusive, and discovery always waits just beyond the next page." —Michelle Anne Schingler, Foreword Reviews


"An excellent novel for discussion with a group or book club . . . . I believe Noah Milligan is an author to keep an eye on in the future." —booksandpals.blogspot.ca

Author Biography

Noah Milligan splits his time between words and numbers and is a longtime student of physics. Born and raised in the Bible Belt, Noah Milligan is the author of the novel An Elegant Theory, the short story collection Five Hundred Poor, the poetry collaboration [Dis]Connected Volume 2 and and his most recent work, Into Captivity They Will Go.

An Elegant Theory was named a semifinalist for the Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize and a finalist for Foreword Review's 2016 Book of the Year. His short fiction has recently been published in Cowboy Jamboree, Orson's Review, Windmill: The Hofstra Journal of Literature and Art, and elsewhere.

He is a graduate of the MFA program at the University of Central Oklahoma and he lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with his wife and two children.

If you are interested in distribution with IPG, please view our information for prospective publishers.

More