A Universe of Sufficient Size
I have wished so many times that I had acted differently.
I wish that I had been more worthy of you…
Eventually the war will end, and then we will find each other.
Until then, remember me.
Budapest, 1938. In a city park, five young Jewish mathematicians gather to share ideas, trade proofs and whisper sedition.
Sydney, 2007. Illy has just buried her father, a violent, unpredictable man whose bitterness she never understood. And now Illy’s mother has gifted her a curious notebook, its pages a mix of personal story and mathematical discovery recounted by a young woman full of hopes and regrets.
‘A fascinating, compelling, beautifully written novel.’ Liane Moriarty
‘Miriam Sved has woven three generations and two periods of history into a page-turning, emotional rollercoaster to remind us all that families are messy, complicated and that the repercussions of decisions made decades ago can come back to haunt you… I cannot recommend this book highly enough.’ Heather Morris
A Universe of Sufficient Size is out now with Picador. Read more or purchase here.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COLIN RODERICK AWARD
Miriam Sved is the author of the novels A Universe of Sufficient Size and Game Day. Her third novel will be published in 2026. Her novella ‘All the Things I Should’ve Given’ was a winner of Griffith Review’s Novella Project, and her short fiction has been widely published. She has also co-edited three feminist anthologies: #MeToo: Stories from the Australian movement, Mothers & Others: Australian writers on why not all women are mothers and not all mothers are the same and Just Between Us: Australian writers tell the truth about female friendship. Read more about Miriam.
‘One of the most convincing and impressive novels about the life of the mind that I have ever seen written in Australia … This is a novel about youth and maths: about friendship, family, hopeless love, intellectual passions, and the long, long shadow of World War II.’
‘Love, friendship and sacrifice explode from the pages as two brilliant young women in war torn Hungary make decisions there can be no turning back from; that will have dire consequences for one, a life and family across two continents for the other.
Miriam has woven three generations and two periods of history into a page turning, emotional rollercoaster to remind us all that families are messy, complicated and how the repercussions of decisions made decades ago can come back and haunt you.
Miriam writes with authenticity and passion, where genius and true friendship pull together then strain and part. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.’
Heather Morris
‘A Universe of Sufficient Size is plotted with the precision of a complex Venn diagram, with overlapping identities, intersecting storylines, narrative arcs, and psychological circles that eventually resolve themselves into a poignant and breathtaking denouement.’
© Miriam Sved