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The Zero and the One
A gothic twist on the classic tale of innocents abroad, THE ZERO AND THE ONE is a meditation on the seductions of friendship and the power of dangerous ideas that registers the dark, psychological suspense of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley and the intellectual and philosophical intrigue of John Banville's The Book of Evidence.
A shy, bookish scholarship student from a working-class family, Owen Whiting has high hopes of what awaits him at Oxford, only to find himself adrift and out of place among the university's dim aristocrats and posh radicals. But his life takes a dramatic turn when he is assigned to the same philosophy tutorial as Zachary Foedern, a visiting student from New York City. Rich, brilliant, and charismatic, Zach takes Owen under his wing, introducing him to a world of experiences Owen has only ever read about.
From the quadrangles of Oxford to the seedy underbelly of Berlin, they practice what Zach preaches, daring each other to transgress the boundaries of convention and morality, until Zach proposes the greatest transgression of all: a suicide pact. But when Zach's plans go horribly awry, Owen is left to pick up the pieces in the sleek lofts and dingy dives of lower Manhattan. Now he must navigate the treacherous boundary between illusion and reality if he wants to understand his friend and preserve a hold on his once bright future.
A shy, bookish scholarship student from a working-class family, Owen Whiting has high hopes of what awaits him at Oxford, only to find himself adrift and out of place among the university's dim aristocrats and posh radicals. But his life takes a dramatic turn when he is assigned to the same philosophy tutorial as Zachary Foedern, a visiting student from New York City. Rich, brilliant, and charismatic, Zach takes Owen under his wing, introducing him to a world of experiences Owen has only ever read about.
From the quadrangles of Oxford to the seedy underbelly of Berlin, they practice what Zach preaches, daring each other to transgress the boundaries of convention and morality, until Zach proposes the greatest transgression of all: a suicide pact. But when Zach's plans go horribly awry, Owen is left to pick up the pieces in the sleek lofts and dingy dives of lower Manhattan. Now he must navigate the treacherous boundary between illusion and reality if he wants to understand his friend and preserve a hold on his once bright future.
272 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2017
22 people are currently reading
748 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
March 17, 2018
This is the secret of keeping a secret. You must have absolute confidence that no one will know what you know unless you tell them yourself. Inspector Thompson and Constable Leyland are asking questions about a suicide note left by Zach Foedern. Owen and Zach were going to Zach's girlfriend's flat for super, but Zach failed to arrive. This is Ryan Ruby's first novel. The Zero And The One is a dark psychological suspense.
July 21, 2022
If you're familiar with Ryan Ruby's book criticism you'll recognize his clear style here. The blurbs are right to compare the novel to The Talented Mr. Ripley or John Banville. The psychological feeling or vibe of the book is similar to Highsmith's, that feeling of constant, alert worry over getting caught out guilty of some embarrassing thing you've done. This elevates to lying, holding secrets, acting and showing false faces and to thinking and actions spurning deep taboos. To give away too much plot would spoil the book. Zachary (Z, Zero) and Owen (O, One) start off on the trail of a mysterious philosophical book by Hans Abendroth, but their relationship quickly intensifies. They make an intellectual suicide pact (not a spoiler, this is on the cover of the book). If you want the suspense of what happens when this goes awry, read Ruby's engaging book. 5 stars.
February 7, 2017
A modern gothic, new adult novel where university students push too far the explorations of philosophical ideals, misdirecting their too innocent minds to address their agonizing torments within themselves and those around them.
Another way to put this is a coming-of-age post-adolescence and peer pressure.
If you are a fan of The Secret History and Crime and Punishment, you may want to add to your list of to-read.
Another way to put this is a coming-of-age post-adolescence and peer pressure.
If you are a fan of The Secret History and Crime and Punishment, you may want to add to your list of to-read.
dnf
September 21, 2017DNF @ 38%
I seriously couldn't do it anymore. I'm so bored and just don't care what happens in the story or to the characters. It's not that it's poorly written, but I just don't think the back and forth timelines were working for me in this book. I would've rather had a straight through story line rather than the back and forth, but still feel like there was just way to much of nothing going on.
Copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I seriously couldn't do it anymore. I'm so bored and just don't care what happens in the story or to the characters. It's not that it's poorly written, but I just don't think the back and forth timelines were working for me in this book. I would've rather had a straight through story line rather than the back and forth, but still feel like there was just way to much of nothing going on.
Copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2022
I found the first half of the novel intriguing enough, although not particularly "thrilling". Yes, it's been done before, the homoerotic strong friendship at Oxford - one an English working class scholarship student and the other a visiting student from NYC - with suicide talk and exististential philosophy. It was pretentious and a little silly, but it was also fun! That fun stopped once the main character is in the US and interacts with the American's twin sister. The "twists" around the suicide pact were all really obvious, but what irritated me most was that the majority of the story in the second half was told by the characters to one another instead of shown. The ending especially was very irritating.
September 10, 2021
Passably competent new wine in the "I went to uni crazy shit happened books beer girls Foucault!" old bottle.
April 30, 2023
Alas, another book that destroys its own good story by indulging in a desperate need to shock.
I had been looking forward to this book for a while. The setting, the premise, and the Dark Academia vibes were all excellent, and likely would have made for a great story had the author not given in to the temptation to do something shocking rather than stick to a subtler but ultimately far better story.
The idea of a suicide pact gone wrong twined with an intense college friendship was an excellent premise for a novel of Dark Academia, and that part of the plot was well done from start to finish. The other big piece of this, sadly, went from creepy and intriguing (weird twins, fun!) to salacious in a way that felt try-hard and desperate.
It’s a page out the Donna Tartt playbook for certain, but whereas Tartt’s incestuous siblings in The Secret History are not at the center of the plot itself, and even the taboo relationship is an excellent example of show, don’t tell, Zach and Vera feel like the look at me look at me fanfic version of the same idea. If you’re going to break the ultimate taboo with your characters, it seems to me that for it to be taken seriously, it has to be done subtly.
And all of that is a shame, because Ruby did such a wonderful job of setting a scene, creating sense of place, and creating a nuanced and intriguing relationship between Zach and Owen. And creepy twins are great, if used more subtly. What could have been a strange and codependent relationship between Zach and Vera that ultimately spurred Zach’s catastrophic actions turns into eye roll inducing, sensationalist stuff when it’s used as a bludgeon. Between that and Owen’s completely out of character actions in the closing chapters, what started out as an excellent story devolves into cringey, tabloid fodder content.
I had been looking forward to this book for a while. The setting, the premise, and the Dark Academia vibes were all excellent, and likely would have made for a great story had the author not given in to the temptation to do something shocking rather than stick to a subtler but ultimately far better story.
The idea of a suicide pact gone wrong twined with an intense college friendship was an excellent premise for a novel of Dark Academia, and that part of the plot was well done from start to finish. The other big piece of this, sadly, went from creepy and intriguing (weird twins, fun!) to salacious in a way that felt try-hard and desperate.
It’s a page out the Donna Tartt playbook for certain, but whereas Tartt’s incestuous siblings in The Secret History are not at the center of the plot itself, and even the taboo relationship is an excellent example of show, don’t tell, Zach and Vera feel like the look at me look at me fanfic version of the same idea. If you’re going to break the ultimate taboo with your characters, it seems to me that for it to be taken seriously, it has to be done subtly.
And all of that is a shame, because Ruby did such a wonderful job of setting a scene, creating sense of place, and creating a nuanced and intriguing relationship between Zach and Owen. And creepy twins are great, if used more subtly. What could have been a strange and codependent relationship between Zach and Vera that ultimately spurred Zach’s catastrophic actions turns into eye roll inducing, sensationalist stuff when it’s used as a bludgeon. Between that and Owen’s completely out of character actions in the closing chapters, what started out as an excellent story devolves into cringey, tabloid fodder content.
April 5, 2018
This is one very deep story. Powerful, strange, weird and totally addictive. It is like entering places that you daren’t even consciously think about, but reading this book makes it acceptable because it is someone else.
Owen’s best friend had killed himself, which wasn’t a surprise to him because he was supposed to do the same. A pact that he had not fulfilled. Now he was on his way to the USA and his funereal.
The story dances between time lines and characters revealing innocence lost, jealousy and ultimate manipulation. That which literally control opposites, love and abstinence, life and death. Zach is a confident rich bloke that befriends loner Owen at university. Zach pushes boundaries that Owen wouldn’t normal even think about never mind do. The story is much deeper than friendship between the two of them. The further into the story I went the more I understood Zach.
Zach was quite a double-edged character with a dark past which is revealed. The story became more and more mesmerizing and shocking in the last quarter. It is smoke and mirrors to say the least. Complex to begin with but it all makes complete sense in the end.
A daring debut novel which you will either love or hate, that complete opposites thing again. I am on the love side, a wickedly brilliant story.
Owen’s best friend had killed himself, which wasn’t a surprise to him because he was supposed to do the same. A pact that he had not fulfilled. Now he was on his way to the USA and his funereal.
The story dances between time lines and characters revealing innocence lost, jealousy and ultimate manipulation. That which literally control opposites, love and abstinence, life and death. Zach is a confident rich bloke that befriends loner Owen at university. Zach pushes boundaries that Owen wouldn’t normal even think about never mind do. The story is much deeper than friendship between the two of them. The further into the story I went the more I understood Zach.
Zach was quite a double-edged character with a dark past which is revealed. The story became more and more mesmerizing and shocking in the last quarter. It is smoke and mirrors to say the least. Complex to begin with but it all makes complete sense in the end.
A daring debut novel which you will either love or hate, that complete opposites thing again. I am on the love side, a wickedly brilliant story.
May 8, 2018
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Owen Whiting is a lone wolf at Oxford. Having desperately tried - and failed every time- to make connections to his surrounding environment, he will finally find himself inexplicably drawn to the friendship of Zachary Foedern. Incredibly at ease with his environment and intelligent beyond measure, Zach, who has come for a year from New York, will form a strong friendship with Owen, opening his mind to concepts and ideas that Owen had never dreamed of.
Owen will blindly follow his friend and idol, until Zach will propose his most peculiar and brutal idea of all : a suicide pact. But, as the reader realizes very soon in this story, one of them is dead, but one of them is still alive. As the reader struggles to realize what has happened between the two of them, they will follow down a path that leads to more questions instead : what was the true reason behind the pact? Why would an intelligent and fierce character like Zach want to end his life at the young age of twenty one? And what happens to the ones that are left behind?
Inspired on a large scale by Hans Abendroth's aphorism, The Zero and The One is a story filled with philosophical questions, ones that can never be answered but burden the human mind nonetheless. Subjects such as the nature of human life, the purpose of living and the reasons behind suicide are raised ; sometimes subtly, through the story, and sometimes much more directly, through parts of Abendroth's opinion in the beginning of the book's chapters.
But as much as it is a story of philosophical questions, it is also a story of a strong friendship taking a dark turn, of secrets that can devour a soul from the inside, and of people wondering at what point, through their choices in life, they became the monsters of their own stories.
The Zero and The One was a carefully constructed work of literature, with a slow, but steady and utterly mind blowing escalation. It is easy to get absorbed in the story, especially the last forty pages, when the last stage of this drama is set before the reader's eyes, and the answers to all their questions are finally answered.
Owen Whiting is a lone wolf at Oxford. Having desperately tried - and failed every time- to make connections to his surrounding environment, he will finally find himself inexplicably drawn to the friendship of Zachary Foedern. Incredibly at ease with his environment and intelligent beyond measure, Zach, who has come for a year from New York, will form a strong friendship with Owen, opening his mind to concepts and ideas that Owen had never dreamed of.
Owen will blindly follow his friend and idol, until Zach will propose his most peculiar and brutal idea of all : a suicide pact. But, as the reader realizes very soon in this story, one of them is dead, but one of them is still alive. As the reader struggles to realize what has happened between the two of them, they will follow down a path that leads to more questions instead : what was the true reason behind the pact? Why would an intelligent and fierce character like Zach want to end his life at the young age of twenty one? And what happens to the ones that are left behind?
Inspired on a large scale by Hans Abendroth's aphorism, The Zero and The One is a story filled with philosophical questions, ones that can never be answered but burden the human mind nonetheless. Subjects such as the nature of human life, the purpose of living and the reasons behind suicide are raised ; sometimes subtly, through the story, and sometimes much more directly, through parts of Abendroth's opinion in the beginning of the book's chapters.
But as much as it is a story of philosophical questions, it is also a story of a strong friendship taking a dark turn, of secrets that can devour a soul from the inside, and of people wondering at what point, through their choices in life, they became the monsters of their own stories.
The Zero and The One was a carefully constructed work of literature, with a slow, but steady and utterly mind blowing escalation. It is easy to get absorbed in the story, especially the last forty pages, when the last stage of this drama is set before the reader's eyes, and the answers to all their questions are finally answered.
June 14, 2017
I had such high hopes for this clever book. If you're keen on philosophy you'll love it. Unfortunately the "clever" is left only to that. However, it is beautifully written and somewhat engaging, but for me, once I tired of the concept, the story was not engaging at all and a lot of skimming occurred. I hate skimming. So, 3.5 stars for ingenuity, beautiful writing and for winning my heart a little. As a pretentious 15 year old I would have surely been a fan girl.
June 13, 2017
Three stars because I literally CANNOT decide how I feel about this book. Love it? Hate it? Ugh I think hate but then I think about all the things I love about it and I swing back to love again.
This book is like a bad boyfriend.
Ok so loved: the philosophy, the secret history-esque feel, the university, the quotes and Zachary
Hated: the pious overtone of this book, the "whore" experience and the NARRATOR drove me nuts.
This was written well, but that doesn't mean I like it. Imagine Lev Grossman had written The Secret History and this is that book.
This book is like a bad boyfriend.
Ok so loved: the philosophy, the secret history-esque feel, the university, the quotes and Zachary
Hated: the pious overtone of this book, the "whore" experience and the NARRATOR drove me nuts.
This was written well, but that doesn't mean I like it. Imagine Lev Grossman had written The Secret History and this is that book.
February 19, 2017
I received a free publisher's review copy through Amazon's Vine program.
A dark coming-of-age novel about two young Oxford University students. Owen is from a working class home and is on scholarship at one of the University’s minor colleges. Owen’s initial attempts to fit in fail, so he becomes a serious and hard-working scholar with no social life. That is, until he meets Zach, who shares a tutorial with him. Zach is a brash, brilliant and lively American who quickly makes friends with Owen and engages in high-flown dialogs with him about philosophy and the meaning of life and death. Zach pushes Owen into increasingly risky actions and finally proposes the most envelope-pushing act of all, a suicide pact. (This is not a spoiler; it’s right there in the book description.)
The story is constructed to alternate between Owen’s trip to New York City for Zach’s funeral and his meeting Zach’s twin sister, Vera, and the days in Oxford as the two young men travel together down the path to disaster.
This is a new adult novel. I wish the publisher had been open about that. Although the book is well written, its level of sophistication is appropriate for young adults. (Though note that there are scenes of fairly graphic sex.) Anyone of, say, 40 or older is likely to be past the point of finding the story compelling, despite the good writing.
The publisher has chosen to way, way oversell the book, what with the description’s and blurbs’ comparisons to Patricia Highsmith’s Mr. Ripley books, Evelyn Waugh, John Banville and P. G. Wodehouse (the Wodehouse comparison is especially nonsensical), and edgy-sounding aristocrats, posh radicals, sleek lofts and dingy dives. No, it’s much more straightforward than that, a sad tale of a messed-up young man and how close he comes to dragging others down with him.
My three-star rating is not intended to mean that the book is bad, rather that it’s mis-marketed and was only an OK read for me because I’m far beyond being a new adult.
A dark coming-of-age novel about two young Oxford University students. Owen is from a working class home and is on scholarship at one of the University’s minor colleges. Owen’s initial attempts to fit in fail, so he becomes a serious and hard-working scholar with no social life. That is, until he meets Zach, who shares a tutorial with him. Zach is a brash, brilliant and lively American who quickly makes friends with Owen and engages in high-flown dialogs with him about philosophy and the meaning of life and death. Zach pushes Owen into increasingly risky actions and finally proposes the most envelope-pushing act of all, a suicide pact. (This is not a spoiler; it’s right there in the book description.)
The story is constructed to alternate between Owen’s trip to New York City for Zach’s funeral and his meeting Zach’s twin sister, Vera, and the days in Oxford as the two young men travel together down the path to disaster.
This is a new adult novel. I wish the publisher had been open about that. Although the book is well written, its level of sophistication is appropriate for young adults. (Though note that there are scenes of fairly graphic sex.) Anyone of, say, 40 or older is likely to be past the point of finding the story compelling, despite the good writing.
The publisher has chosen to way, way oversell the book, what with the description’s and blurbs’ comparisons to Patricia Highsmith’s Mr. Ripley books, Evelyn Waugh, John Banville and P. G. Wodehouse (the Wodehouse comparison is especially nonsensical), and edgy-sounding aristocrats, posh radicals, sleek lofts and dingy dives. No, it’s much more straightforward than that, a sad tale of a messed-up young man and how close he comes to dragging others down with him.
My three-star rating is not intended to mean that the book is bad, rather that it’s mis-marketed and was only an OK read for me because I’m far beyond being a new adult.
January 22, 2023
Clearly a significant piece of writing in style and subject matter. A review is slightly beyond my ability to formulate at the moment given, in no small part, the difficulty of doing so without delving into spoiler territory. But here's a shot.
In his Acknowledgements section, Mr. Ruby gives a nod to his father, "...for trusting me at a young age with dangerous books..." I found that mention a profoundly palpable thought and would love to know more about the interplay of such father-son relationship and to what books, in particular, Mr. Ruby might be referring.
However, the mention of "dangerous books" is a chime dinger for those in-tuned to such things. The notion is suggested in the preface - an intrigue that reads as both warning and, frankly, plug.
The preface is a quote taken from little known philosopher Hans Abendroth whose own themes and aphorisms are deeply ingrained throughout Mr. Ruby's book. Of his own book, Abendroth wrote, "[it] is an unsafe book, and not just anyone will emerge from it unscathed." Interest piqued. Fair warning for some to continue reading, yet full speed ahead for others.
I won't recommend the book other than to say some will enjoy it, some will not. I wavered several times before deciding to finish it. The writing is worthy. The book is, in my opinion, a true page-turner filled with interesting major and minor characters. Not an insignificant feature. And even though (I found it) predictable and rather thematically bombastic, my deciding factor to finish it was to see how it all ends. The true attraction of good books.
Having just finished it last evening, I predict at the moment I will not ever categorize this book as "unforgettable." Ask me in a year. Profound, yes. Maybe a movie eventually? Who knows. The book is thoughtfully written and I liked that. Readers will find various appeals in its philosophical thought and as reading entertainment. Dark for some, a lark for others. Dangerous? Such is life. Mileage varies.
Kudos to editors and publishers and to Mr. Ruby's writing chops. More please.
In his Acknowledgements section, Mr. Ruby gives a nod to his father, "...for trusting me at a young age with dangerous books..." I found that mention a profoundly palpable thought and would love to know more about the interplay of such father-son relationship and to what books, in particular, Mr. Ruby might be referring.
However, the mention of "dangerous books" is a chime dinger for those in-tuned to such things. The notion is suggested in the preface - an intrigue that reads as both warning and, frankly, plug.
The preface is a quote taken from little known philosopher Hans Abendroth whose own themes and aphorisms are deeply ingrained throughout Mr. Ruby's book. Of his own book, Abendroth wrote, "[it] is an unsafe book, and not just anyone will emerge from it unscathed." Interest piqued. Fair warning for some to continue reading, yet full speed ahead for others.
I won't recommend the book other than to say some will enjoy it, some will not. I wavered several times before deciding to finish it. The writing is worthy. The book is, in my opinion, a true page-turner filled with interesting major and minor characters. Not an insignificant feature. And even though (I found it) predictable and rather thematically bombastic, my deciding factor to finish it was to see how it all ends. The true attraction of good books.
Having just finished it last evening, I predict at the moment I will not ever categorize this book as "unforgettable." Ask me in a year. Profound, yes. Maybe a movie eventually? Who knows. The book is thoughtfully written and I liked that. Readers will find various appeals in its philosophical thought and as reading entertainment. Dark for some, a lark for others. Dangerous? Such is life. Mileage varies.
Kudos to editors and publishers and to Mr. Ruby's writing chops. More please.
February 9, 2023
terrifying book and reassuring at the same time - you can be a smart guy and still not being able to pull a good novel out of yourself. a somewhat good coming of age story, about the fascination for books, alienation and the ever so common angst of 20 something college student ** and so much more mom **, it fails to be human when it needs to and fails to being borgesianly labyrinthine when it desperately has to. Some passages are interesting but the body or feelings seem to be a cumbersome data for the narration, actually everything is so cumbersome that it fails to coagulate in a novel, as is the book never puts the character at sort of distance, fascination and vertigo are expressed so poorly, all of this ends up being a unfun dark academia novel.
I get it really, but this book fails to tell it in any compelling way, despite a serviceable prose.
Just read Mohamed Mbougar Sarr if you want this somewhat well done.
I get it really, but this book fails to tell it in any compelling way, despite a serviceable prose.
Just read Mohamed Mbougar Sarr if you want this somewhat well done.
Read
March 27, 2017I really don't know how to rate this book, so i'm not going to. Basically, i absolutely adored it until the last ten pages, when it really crapped out in an epically disappointing way. Like, not in such a way that i wish i had the hours of my life back that i spent reading it, because i did very much love it right up until i just totally, totally didn't. A tiny part of me wants to rip out the last few pages and just write my own ending, except I don't want to devote my own creativity to chasing the dropped balls of other storytellers.
March 15, 2018
I unfortunately didn't finish this book. I had such a hard time getting into it and it just overall didn't wow me. It's not because the writing is bad but just because the story itself is rather boring :(
November 25, 2017
I found this book quite gripping. It hooked me from the first page and kept wanting to keep reading. While there were elements of it which reminded me of various other books I have read and throughly enjoyed, it was also quite original in presentation.
I loved the tie in of the philosophical with a sort of murder mystery. I enjoyed how each chapter was like another piece of a puzzle revealing more of the truth of what really happened. While it is hinted at throughout we do not see the whole picture until the end and there are all these bits and pieces of intrigue.
With that being said the end reveal was the biggest let down of the book, maybe because I already saw it comming, or maybe because my anticipation was so I was expecting something really mind-blowing, but I found it somewhat antclimatic.
That did not really deter from my overall enjoyment of reading the book or how much I appreciated the author's cleverness and skill as a writer.
I loved the tie in of the philosophical with a sort of murder mystery. I enjoyed how each chapter was like another piece of a puzzle revealing more of the truth of what really happened. While it is hinted at throughout we do not see the whole picture until the end and there are all these bits and pieces of intrigue.
With that being said the end reveal was the biggest let down of the book, maybe because I already saw it comming, or maybe because my anticipation was so I was expecting something really mind-blowing, but I found it somewhat antclimatic.
That did not really deter from my overall enjoyment of reading the book or how much I appreciated the author's cleverness and skill as a writer.
December 6, 2017
A shallow echo of earlier gothic novels with an entirely predictable twist and a collection of main characters trapped by the author's self image of smug importance. The only thing extraordinary about The Zero and the One is how banal it makes the assassination of morality, the taboo of incest, and even murder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2022
A close personal meditation on freedom through suicide. Set at Oxford and NYC, this novel brings the high energy of student discovery of what it means to be alive. I applaud the questions.
February 18, 2017
I won a copy of this book.
I didn't have any expectations for this book when I opened it, even after reading Ruby's opening letter to the reader. I liked this book. There were twists in it that I was caught off guard by, which is always fun.
I didn't have any expectations for this book when I opened it, even after reading Ruby's opening letter to the reader. I liked this book. There were twists in it that I was caught off guard by, which is always fun.
April 16, 2018
Unfortunately, this is the rare unicorn of an ARC where you can be sure that my honest review for NetGalley is completely honest because reader, I hated this book. The characters were pretentious without much to anchor them to reality, and the depiction of twins made me wonder if the author had ever met a pair in his life. There was just too much going on here, and none of it was good.
December 24, 2021
From philosophy to passion
What begins as a heady college encounter between Zach, a charismatic, unorthodox, and brilliant American, and Owen, an earnest first generation English scholar, becomes a gripping rite of passage, then a shocking series of twists that move from head to heart.
Ruby has written a well-paced, deeply structured novel. He has a great ear for dialog--witty, rapid, and believable. He captures both precious philosophic posing and the authentic awkwardness of emotional reckoning.
It's a fine book, and in the end, haunting. Recommended.
What begins as a heady college encounter between Zach, a charismatic, unorthodox, and brilliant American, and Owen, an earnest first generation English scholar, becomes a gripping rite of passage, then a shocking series of twists that move from head to heart.
Ruby has written a well-paced, deeply structured novel. He has a great ear for dialog--witty, rapid, and believable. He captures both precious philosophic posing and the authentic awkwardness of emotional reckoning.
It's a fine book, and in the end, haunting. Recommended.
December 13, 2017
Felt like someone took a Law & Order: SVU episode script and merged it with a Philosophy 101 textbook in post production. Some of the philosophy was intriguing, and when I started skipping it the core story was fine. But overall a book I was glad to finish.
April 9, 2018
Was really loving this book but it really falls apart once the sister gets involved.
March 15, 2018
Owen is full of fear. He hates flying, maybe because he hasn’t done it quite so often. But there was no way of avoiding his best friend’s funeral, he has to go to New York to attend the service. How could he end on this plane? Owen Whiting has fought his way from his non-academic family up to Oxford where he spends his first months mostly alone and an outsider. Only when Zach approaches and befriends him do things change. The young American has seen something in Owen that was hidden to the others, Owen is his equal, he can share his thoughts and is ready to transgress the boundaries of life. Still, Owen cannot fully comprehend how it all could have ended like this, maybe he will find answers across the ocean.
“The Zero and the One” keeps the secrets about Zach for quite some time; the structure of narrating the events surrounding the funeral and disrupting them with narratives of the past, postpones the clear picture and the full understanding of the events repeatedly. The beginning was rather slow, nevertheless I liked Owen’s background story, his family, his own expectations of life and his fight for a higher education. After the boys have met, the focus shifts a bit and the whole novel becomes a lot more philosophical. Their treasure hunt for the not so famous author of “The Zero and the One” already provides some suspense, however, it is only in the third part that the action really accelerates and Ryan Ruby can surprise the reader. Never would I have imagined such a story as the one that lies beneath it all.
To some extent, it is a classic coming-of-age novel, on the other hand, we also have quite a typical story of an ambitious young person from a poor background who suddenly enters a completely new sphere where he does not fit in at all and where intelligence and thirst for knowledge just aren’t enough. Thirdly, there is a psychological thrill particularly towards the end which I found most intriguing and fascinating. Zach is the character who can enthral the reader and who is not easily tangible, but here, the protagonist has to offer much more than some well-known cliché.
For quite some time I thought “The Zero and the One” was a good and entertaining novel. The closer I got to the climax and the end, the more I was drawn into it and spellbound.
“The Zero and the One” keeps the secrets about Zach for quite some time; the structure of narrating the events surrounding the funeral and disrupting them with narratives of the past, postpones the clear picture and the full understanding of the events repeatedly. The beginning was rather slow, nevertheless I liked Owen’s background story, his family, his own expectations of life and his fight for a higher education. After the boys have met, the focus shifts a bit and the whole novel becomes a lot more philosophical. Their treasure hunt for the not so famous author of “The Zero and the One” already provides some suspense, however, it is only in the third part that the action really accelerates and Ryan Ruby can surprise the reader. Never would I have imagined such a story as the one that lies beneath it all.
To some extent, it is a classic coming-of-age novel, on the other hand, we also have quite a typical story of an ambitious young person from a poor background who suddenly enters a completely new sphere where he does not fit in at all and where intelligence and thirst for knowledge just aren’t enough. Thirdly, there is a psychological thrill particularly towards the end which I found most intriguing and fascinating. Zach is the character who can enthral the reader and who is not easily tangible, but here, the protagonist has to offer much more than some well-known cliché.
For quite some time I thought “The Zero and the One” was a good and entertaining novel. The closer I got to the climax and the end, the more I was drawn into it and spellbound.
March 2, 2018
The Zero and the One is a novel about intellect, questioning morality, and how people can be pawns in a larger game. Owen is an Oxford fresher from a working class background who, feeling lonely and out of place anywhere other than stuck into his work, ends up befriending a visiting student who believes they have a similar mindset for discussing philosophy. However, Zachary Foedern is more complicated than Owen first thought, constantly trying to defy convention, and their friendship lasts barely more than a term before Zach proposes his greatest transgression yet: a suicide pact.
The novel moves between Owen in the aftermath of Zach’s plans and showing Owen and Zach as friends, from meeting until ending. The narrative is unfurled like a mystery, though it is not a hugely surprising one, not even as Owen gets to know Zach’s twin sister Vera who he never met during their time at Oxford. The ultimate denouement is definitely set up, but this seems to work with Owen as a clever and also short-sighted narrator caught in this dark, recognisably literary fiction world.
The earlier narrative is more centred around students obsessed with their intellectual quest: in this case, an obscure philosopher and questions about the morality of suicide, with an Oxford and Berlin backdrop. The later plot, with Owen in New York, feels quite different, with hints of a mystery and a fish-out-of-water Englishman in America vibe. This variation can be a bit strange: it feels like a mixture of The Secret History, the Netflix series ‘The Good Place’, a dash of Brideshead, and maybe a bit of Nabokov too. The Oxford parts were surprisingly decent with only the odd jarringly Americanised detail, though the Berlin trip felt too fleeting.
The Zero and the One is clearly trying to be a certain kind of book, a literary thriller type with intellectual obsession and dark characters hiding secrets. At times it pulls this off better than others, but it still makes for an intriguing read.
The novel moves between Owen in the aftermath of Zach’s plans and showing Owen and Zach as friends, from meeting until ending. The narrative is unfurled like a mystery, though it is not a hugely surprising one, not even as Owen gets to know Zach’s twin sister Vera who he never met during their time at Oxford. The ultimate denouement is definitely set up, but this seems to work with Owen as a clever and also short-sighted narrator caught in this dark, recognisably literary fiction world.
The earlier narrative is more centred around students obsessed with their intellectual quest: in this case, an obscure philosopher and questions about the morality of suicide, with an Oxford and Berlin backdrop. The later plot, with Owen in New York, feels quite different, with hints of a mystery and a fish-out-of-water Englishman in America vibe. This variation can be a bit strange: it feels like a mixture of The Secret History, the Netflix series ‘The Good Place’, a dash of Brideshead, and maybe a bit of Nabokov too. The Oxford parts were surprisingly decent with only the odd jarringly Americanised detail, though the Berlin trip felt too fleeting.
The Zero and the One is clearly trying to be a certain kind of book, a literary thriller type with intellectual obsession and dark characters hiding secrets. At times it pulls this off better than others, but it still makes for an intriguing read.
January 3, 2018
Despite the fact that I don't really like intense female friendship stories, I do like intense male friendship stories because I see those less and, well, one of my favorite books of all time is one. But it wasn't just because of that I picked it, no, it was because last month, I read a little book called The Secret History and decided that it was one of my favorite books ever. I was enchanted by the story, the characters, the writing, and couldn't get enough of it. Happily, there are tons of books that are labelled as being "in the tradition of The Secret History" and this month will likely be peppered with such books. The Zero and the One is one of them.
In sharp contrast to Marlena, which I read right before this one, I was instantly glued to The Zero and the One. I couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, and actually had to pry myself away from it when I had to do other things. Even when I took a break to eat dinner (I kind of forced myself to do that, I wasn't too keen on what this book was doing to my brain) I still couldn't stop thinking of it. You know a book has a stern hold on you when not even Law and Order can distract you.
Really, this should be a slam dunk for me, The Secret History crossed with Brideshead Revisited. Still, I can't quite bring myself to wholly condone this novel. There's an overarching pretension about it that I disliked, and I had a hard time believing in Zach and Owen's friendship. There was no chemistry, for lack of a better word, between them, much to my annoyance. Likely, this was due to the short length, which is something I never say. I also felt the timeline was very sped up, and that's why I couldn't quite grasp what either of these two saw in each other.
Continue reading this review on my blog here: https://bookwormbasics.blogspot.com/2...
In sharp contrast to Marlena, which I read right before this one, I was instantly glued to The Zero and the One. I couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, and actually had to pry myself away from it when I had to do other things. Even when I took a break to eat dinner (I kind of forced myself to do that, I wasn't too keen on what this book was doing to my brain) I still couldn't stop thinking of it. You know a book has a stern hold on you when not even Law and Order can distract you.
Really, this should be a slam dunk for me, The Secret History crossed with Brideshead Revisited. Still, I can't quite bring myself to wholly condone this novel. There's an overarching pretension about it that I disliked, and I had a hard time believing in Zach and Owen's friendship. There was no chemistry, for lack of a better word, between them, much to my annoyance. Likely, this was due to the short length, which is something I never say. I also felt the timeline was very sped up, and that's why I couldn't quite grasp what either of these two saw in each other.
Continue reading this review on my blog here: https://bookwormbasics.blogspot.com/2...
March 12, 2019
Très intriguée par le résumé de la dernière de couverture, je me suis plongée dans ce roman, sans vraiment chercher à en savoir plus à travers des avis de lecteurs. J'avais vraiment envie de découvrir l'auteur sans préjugés et je n'ai pas été déçue. J'ai aimé l'atmosphère de ce livre de la première à la dernière page même si je suis consciente qu'il ne plaira pas à tout le monde. Les thèmes abordés sont difficiles et sans concession et les personnages pas forcément très sympathiques. Pour caricaturer à l'extrême je dirai que Zach est d'une suffisance et d'une arrogance qui peuvent rapidement agacer le lecteur et Owen est un "mouton", à qui on a envie de filer des claques pour le réveiller. Malgré cela j'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages et la façon dont l'auteur a développé et fait évoluer leur personnalité tout au long du roman. Au fur et à mesure que l'on progresse dans l'histoire, on se rend vite compte que tant Zach qu'Owen sont en prise avec leurs failles et leur propre douleur. Une enfance compliquée pour Zach, solitaire et sans beaucoup de relief pour Owen. Ces personnages que je n'aimais pas beaucoup au début du livre ont fini par m'intriguer, puis par m'intéresser avant de me toucher.
Le livre se développe à travers l'alternance des chapitres consacrés à la relation de Zach et d'Owen à Oxford et ceux d'Owen à New York, passé et présent s'entrecroisent, amis et familles aussi. On voyage à travers ce roman avec inconfort et tristesse et, jusqu'au bout de la route, on espère et on attend la rédemption et la résilience. Bizarrement j'ai préféré le personnage de Zach à celui d'Owen. Zach est pourtant plus sombre, plus manipulateur, voire impardonnable mais Owen est beaucoup trop dans l'admiration béate et la complaisance. Il donne l'impression tout au long du livre de vivre un simulacre de vie par procuration. A travers Zach, puis à travers la famille de ce dernier dans les chapitres New Yorkais. On attend qu'une chose, qu'il devienne enfin acteur de sa propre vie…
C'est un livre qui met en avant différents thèmes : le choix et ses conséquences, le sens de la vie, l'amour jusqu'à la mort, la complexité des relations avec la famille et avec les autres, l'emprise que l'on peut avoir sur quelqu'un... Voyage à travers la philosophie, à travers une histoire inavouée et inavouable, c'est un texte prenant, dur, pesant, certains diront glauque, voire malsain mais cela semble normal pour un livre qui touche aux interdits et aux côtés sombres de l'être humain. J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre et les questionnements des personnages sur le sens de la vie et de la mort, voyage immobile au coeur du désir et de la culpabilité.
http://bidules16.canalblog.com/archiv...
Le livre se développe à travers l'alternance des chapitres consacrés à la relation de Zach et d'Owen à Oxford et ceux d'Owen à New York, passé et présent s'entrecroisent, amis et familles aussi. On voyage à travers ce roman avec inconfort et tristesse et, jusqu'au bout de la route, on espère et on attend la rédemption et la résilience. Bizarrement j'ai préféré le personnage de Zach à celui d'Owen. Zach est pourtant plus sombre, plus manipulateur, voire impardonnable mais Owen est beaucoup trop dans l'admiration béate et la complaisance. Il donne l'impression tout au long du livre de vivre un simulacre de vie par procuration. A travers Zach, puis à travers la famille de ce dernier dans les chapitres New Yorkais. On attend qu'une chose, qu'il devienne enfin acteur de sa propre vie…
C'est un livre qui met en avant différents thèmes : le choix et ses conséquences, le sens de la vie, l'amour jusqu'à la mort, la complexité des relations avec la famille et avec les autres, l'emprise que l'on peut avoir sur quelqu'un... Voyage à travers la philosophie, à travers une histoire inavouée et inavouable, c'est un texte prenant, dur, pesant, certains diront glauque, voire malsain mais cela semble normal pour un livre qui touche aux interdits et aux côtés sombres de l'être humain. J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre et les questionnements des personnages sur le sens de la vie et de la mort, voyage immobile au coeur du désir et de la culpabilité.
http://bidules16.canalblog.com/archiv...
April 4, 2018
The Zero and the One, by Ryan Ruby, is imperfect, but I loved it. It's a college novel, and a pursuit of a rare book, with a heavy dose of philosophizing. The novel starts with a suicide and the rest of the book uncovers how we got to this point, through flashbacks on the school year at Oxford and muddling through the funeral aftermath in New York City.
Obvious comparisons for The Zero and the One are Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Patricia Highsmith's Talented Mr Ripley. I'd add a dose of Patrick Hamilton's Rope. It doesn't have the emotional or moral heft of these, but I was perfectly satisfied to be immersed for a couple days in student life in Oxford and NYC, with a side trip to Berlin.
Owen (like "one") is on scholarship and is consumed by his studies, until Zach (like "zero") zooms in from America and enlists Owen's help in getting a girl. Zach gets the girl, Owen gets her friend. Zach develops an obsession with philosopher Hans Abendroth. Everyone revels in academia. Until they don't. Then Owen meets Zach's twin sister.
My favourite sentence: A typical late winter sky, dull and grey as an oyster shell, hung like a Rothko in the window frame.
Structurally, each chapter is headed with a passage from Abendroth, who turns out to be entirely fictional. His rare collection of aphorisms, Null und Eins, is at the centre of this novel, which could be described as an investigation into the ethics of suicide. The sensibilities expressed in The Zero and the One borrow heavily from Dostoevsky.
The Paris Review for a "biography" of Hans Abendroth with an extensive extract of his work. I'd be quite happy to spend many more meditative hours with this book within a book.
More on my blog.
Obvious comparisons for The Zero and the One are Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Patricia Highsmith's Talented Mr Ripley. I'd add a dose of Patrick Hamilton's Rope. It doesn't have the emotional or moral heft of these, but I was perfectly satisfied to be immersed for a couple days in student life in Oxford and NYC, with a side trip to Berlin.
Owen (like "one") is on scholarship and is consumed by his studies, until Zach (like "zero") zooms in from America and enlists Owen's help in getting a girl. Zach gets the girl, Owen gets her friend. Zach develops an obsession with philosopher Hans Abendroth. Everyone revels in academia. Until they don't. Then Owen meets Zach's twin sister.
My favourite sentence: A typical late winter sky, dull and grey as an oyster shell, hung like a Rothko in the window frame.
Structurally, each chapter is headed with a passage from Abendroth, who turns out to be entirely fictional. His rare collection of aphorisms, Null und Eins, is at the centre of this novel, which could be described as an investigation into the ethics of suicide. The sensibilities expressed in The Zero and the One borrow heavily from Dostoevsky.
The Paris Review for a "biography" of Hans Abendroth with an extensive extract of his work. I'd be quite happy to spend many more meditative hours with this book within a book.
More on my blog.
November 13, 2017
This is a dark tale of the risks we all take in making and maintaining friendships. It questions the power and influence that we give others over us - which sometimes results in devastating consequences. This was an interesting philosophical story of manipulation, deceit, loneliness, and the power of unchecked, dangerous ideas. The takeaway being that some people will go to great lengths to build the kind of life they want, and others only grow into their own with a little prodding from their surroundings.
This book was an intense read - it felt very grim and very real right from the beginning. The chapters alternate between time periods - what could loosely be defined as "pre-event" and "post-event" -
in a way that engages the mind into trying to understand exactly how/why things played out as they did. It was a really well crafted story.
This book was an intense read - it felt very grim and very real right from the beginning. The chapters alternate between time periods - what could loosely be defined as "pre-event" and "post-event" -
in a way that engages the mind into trying to understand exactly how/why things played out as they did. It was a really well crafted story.
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