The Weight Of Numbers

From millions of lives, spinning continents and different generations come three people: Anthony Burden, a wartime mathematical genius destroyed by the power and beauty of numbers; soap star Stacey Chavez, whose anorexic body is a reflection of her fading celebrity wattage and hunger for love; and Saul Cogan, a ’60s prankster turned murderous people trafficker. All three are connected to Nick Jinks, whose latest web of terror extends to 58 illegal immigrants suffocated in the back of a truck.

Joining seemingly random events, from the London Blitz to the first Moon walk, to the revolution in Cuba and the civil war in Mozambique, The Weight of Numbers is told through the sharp-edged lens of probability and randomness, a testament to the weight of numbers on all our lives. A panoramic novel of rich ideas and multi- ayered characters, The Weight of Numbers establishes Simon Ings as one of Britain’s most gifted young novelists.