The Housekeeper and the Professor

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, tells the story of a brilliant math professor who suffered an injury years prior has a peculiar problem, he can only remember things 80 minutes at a time. The housekeeper is a single mother of a boy who the Professor nicknames Root because his head is shaped like a square root. The housekeeper, Root and the Professor develop a close bond that begins as a friendship and mirrors a family through math and through life.

 Story & Meaning of Love

I know that while The Housekeeper & Professor aren’t romantically involved considering the huge age gap, I like how the Professor is the father figure to Root. They bond over math and baseball. Root’s mother, the Housekeeper is gentle and patient with the Professor & his quirks. There’s no character I disliked. I could picture myself being friends with all the characters. You don’t have to enjoy math or baseball to appreciate the deeper meaning of community and helping one another as well as family not being blood.