Gabriel Roth

Self-deprecating, lifelong nerd Eric Mueller has spent years attempting to apply the tricks of computer coding, which has earned him millions of dollars, to women. As a freshman in high school, Eric keeps a notebook filled with data on potential girlfriends. The list's only requirement: "Would I prefer to be involved with her or to graduate high school without ever acquiring a girlfriend?" In his adulthood, Eric is better able to turn his awkwardness into charm, but will he allow his feelings to override facts when he meets the perfect girl?

Roth opens The Unknowns at a party, which is a perfect setup for Eric's fumbling wit, but also allows readers to watch his acute sense of observation at work. In hilarious anecdotes, Eric takes notes on the people around him, mastering the art of partygoing and, eventually, picking up women.

Throughout the novel Roth flashes between Eric's teenage years, as he navigates the social waters of high school, and 2002, where he is dealing with a budding romance. It is in the later storyline that the book takes a surprising, but spot-on, turn. Rather than a comedic tale of a nerd's coming of age, this change takes The Unknowns a step deeper.

Gabriel Roth uses an insightful, funny voice to bring Eric's character to life, while giving him the depth to explore more than just the surface of relationships. The Unknowns is a great little book you will find yourself peeling through, looking forward to the next laugh.

Blog: www.rivercityreading.com… (meer)

I have really mixed feelings about this book. The beginning of the book was a put-off for me (I thought - "oh no, this is not my kind of book at all") but I'm not a quitter and as I continued to read, I found myself drawn into the story of socially inept Eric who overthinks and calculates almost every action. At times I felt sorry for Eric, struggling with every day life and his lack of experiencing anything; at times I was in awe of the way the mind of a computer "nerd" works; and, at times I wanted to give Eric a swift kick in the butt. After reading other reviews, I think I might have missed something or I'm just not savvy enough to read between the lines.

I received a free copy of The Unknowns: A Novel through Goodreads Firstreads.
… (meer)