Universe of Two: A Novel

by Stephen P. Kiernan, Cassandra Campbell (Read by)

Overview

From the critically acclaimed author of The Baker’s Secret and The Curiosity comes a novel of conscience, love and redemption

Graduating from Harvard at the height of World War II, brilliant mathematician Charlie Fisk is assigned to the Manhattan Project. Working with some of the age’s greatest scientific minds, including J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard, Charlie is assigned the task of designing and building the detonator of the atomic bomb.

As he performs the work Charlie suffers a crisis of conscience, which his wife, Brenda—unaware of the true nature of Charlie’s top-secret task—mistakes for self-doubt. She urges him to set aside his qualms and continue. But once the bombs strike Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the feelings of culpability devastate them both.

At the war’s end, Charlie receives a scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in physics at Stanford—an opportunity he and Brenda hope will allow them a fresh start. But the past proves inescapable. All any of Charlie’s new colleagues can talk about is the bomb, and what greater atomic weapons might be on the horizon. Haunted by guilt, Charlie and Brenda know that they must do something to make amends for the evil they helped to bring into the world.

Based on the real life of Charles B. Fisk, Universe of Two combines riveting historical drama with a poignant love story. Stephen Kiernan has conjured a remarkable account of two people struggling to heal their consciences and find peace in a world forever changed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781094156750
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stephen P. Kiernan is an author of fiction and nonfiction. Over his twenty-plus years as a journalist, he has won numerous awards, including the Brechner Center’s Freedom of Information Award, the Scripps Howard Award for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment, and a George Polk Award. He is a graduate of Middlebury College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop

Original bio sent from Cassandra:

Cassandra Campbell began doing voice overs as the voice for Calvin Klein’s Italian commercials. This was followed by commercial and documentary recording in both English and Italian. She has recorded many audiobooks and has received several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie® Award nomination. As an actress and director, she has worked at the Public, the Mint, the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Stagewest, Theatreworks, the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Millmountain Theatre, the National Shakespeare Company, and the New York Fringe Festival.

Editorial Reviews

03/30/2020

Kiernan’s lackluster fourth novel (after 2017’s The Baker’s Secret) concerns 19-year-old mathematician Charlie Fish, who’s called away from his sweetheart, Brenda, to play a pivotal role in constructing the atomic bomb. Charlie bonds with Brenda at her family’s Chicago music store during his breaks from working on a secret government project at a nearby university. When Charlie is recruited as part of the team sent to Los Alamos, Brenda doesn’t understand the scope of Charlie’s work, and doesn’t cope well with his absence and cryptic letters. Despite this, the two pine for one another, and Brenda accepts a job as a Santa Fe church organist to be closer to him. Burdened with guilt over his work’s destructive power and sworn to secrecy, Charlie relies on Brenda for strength before and especially after the bombings in Japan. The details of Los Alamos are fascinating, but characterization isn’t Kiernan’s strong suit; he only scratches the surface of his protagonists, and the story of their courtship, which takes up a good chunk of the novel, falls flat. This feels like a generic love story with the Manhattan Project tacked on for emotional heft. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Stephen Kiernan has pulled off the nearly impossible, reminding us by wrapping a war story in a love story that although we hold the power for our own extinction, we also have the power to redeem, heal, and save. The most tender, terrifying, relevant book you’ll read this year.” — Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family

“Rarely does historical fiction get everything so right as Universe of Two: compelling characters, faithful detail, a story packed with unexpected twists, and a sure, authentic voice that never wavers. In this novel of the dawn of the atomic age and its profound consequences, Stephen Kiernan leads us along a journey of conscience as complex and infinite as the science itself.”  — Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of The Golden Hour

“A great read. . . . Stephen P. Kiernan writes with heart and humor . . . [and] manages to balance serious historical questions and ethical issues with lively characters, sharp dialogue, and marvelous historical detail.” — Historical Novel Society

“Based loosely on the life of mathematician and organ-maker Charles B. Fisk, this fascinating novel delves into the guilt and remorse that wracked him for his part in the development of the atomic bomb. . . . The two main characters are complex and flawed, but when they come together, their world is in harmony.” 
— Library Journal

“Kiernan recreates the zeitgeist of America leading up to the atomic bomb on a national and personal level: the eager anticipation of wartime’s end, the grimly fascinating science, and the growing sense of guilt and dread. Simultaneously tender and hard-hitting, this riveting story offers much to reflect upon.” — Booklist

"Universe of Two skillfully educates, entertains and enlightens as great historical fiction should . . . . Masterfully researched and exquisitely told." — The Patriot Ledger

"Charlie and Brenda's choices imply that harmony (in music and in love) can be every bit as powerful as splitting the atom. It's a history lesson contemporary leaders would do well to remember." — Seven Days 

From the Publisher

"Universe of Two skillfully educates, entertains and enlightens as great historical fiction should . . . . Masterfully researched and exquisitely told."

The Patriot Ledger

Rarely does historical fiction get everything so right as Universe of Two: compelling characters, faithful detail, a story packed with unexpected twists, and a sure, authentic voice that never wavers. In this novel of the dawn of the atomic age and its profound consequences, Stephen Kiernan leads us along a journey of conscience as complex and infinite as the science itself.” 

Beatriz Williams

A great read. . . . Stephen P. Kiernan writes with heart and humor . . . [and] manages to balance serious historical questions and ethical issues with lively characters, sharp dialogue, and marvelous historical detail.

Historical Novel Society

"Charlie and Brenda's choices imply that harmony (in music and in love) can be every bit as powerful as splitting the atom. It's a history lesson contemporary leaders would do well to remember."

Seven Days 

Kiernan recreates the zeitgeist of America leading up to the atomic bomb on a national and personal level: the eager anticipation of wartime’s end, the grimly fascinating science, and the growing sense of guilt and dread. Simultaneously tender and hard-hitting, this riveting story offers much to reflect upon.

Booklist

Stephen Kiernan has pulled off the nearly impossible, reminding us by wrapping a war story in a love story that although we hold the power for our own extinction, we also have the power to redeem, heal, and save. The most tender, terrifying, relevant book you’ll read this year.

Jenna Blum

Kiernan recreates the zeitgeist of America leading up to the atomic bomb on a national and personal level: the eager anticipation of wartime’s end, the grimly fascinating science, and the growing sense of guilt and dread. Simultaneously tender and hard-hitting, this riveting story offers much to reflect upon.

Booklist

This thought-provoking novel is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. . . . Kiernan has created characters who are well-developed, beautifully flawed, and unforgettable. Yes, it’s a story of tragedy, but it’s also one of love, endurance, and, ultimately, redemption.”
 

Washington Independent Review of Books on THE BAKER’S SECRET

This many-faceted, thought-provoking story prompts soul-searching about life, war, and death.”
  

Booklist on THE BAKER’S SECRET

Transcends even a critical moment in history to suggest the inescapable human condition of ignorance of the future, and the absolute necessity of hope, courage, and unselfish sacrifice.

Sena Naslund

Remarkably touching, insightful and timely… bridges several powerful stories of life and death that explore the cost of courage and the true meaning of heroism… Illuminating, uplifting and ultimately redemptive.

RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars) on THE BAKER’S SECRET

A tale beautifully, wisely, and masterfully told.”
 

Paula McLain

In this moving saga, Stephen P. Kiernan tells the story of soldiers and survivors, heroes and healing. . . . I’m not sure I’ve ever read a novel that so poignantly depicts the brevity of life, the significance of each moment, the impact we have on one another.”

Mary Morris

[A] smart, heady, and irresistible science thriller...Kiernan gets every element right in this breakneck, entertaining, and thought-provoking tale about time, mortality, the ethics of science, and the meaning of life.”

Booklist [starred review] on THE CURIOSITY

A great read. . . . Stephen P. Kiernan writes with heart and humor . . . [and] manages to balance serious historical questions and ethical issues with lively characters, sharp dialogue, and marvelous historical detail.

Historical Novels Review

"Charlie and Brenda's choices imply that harmony (in music and in love) can be every bit as powerful as splitting the atom. It's a history lesson contemporary leaders would do well to remember."

null Seven Days 

05/01/2020

Chicago, 1943. The world is at war, and Brenda Dulcie has yet to learn how self-centered she is. When Charlie Fisk comes into her life, she isn't quite ready to settle down. Charlie Fisk is steady and quiet, but not until he leaves for New Mexico does she realize the depth of her feelings. Brenda is the one thing that keeps Charles going as he works in the isolation of Los Alamos. When all the arcs and electrical work are revealed to be for a weapon beyond what has ever been seen, he is horrified, and only Brenda is able to pull him back to near-normalcy and a fulfilling life. Based loosely on the life of mathematician and organ-maker Charles B. Fisk, this fascinating novel delves into the guilt and remorse that wracked him for his part in the development of the atomic bomb. The story moves slowly but steadily, highlighting daily life during World War II. The two main characters are complex and flawed, but when they come together, their world is in harmony. VERDICT General readers and those interested in the time period will enjoy this brutally honest novel by the author of The Baker's Secret. [See Prepub Alert, 11/4/19.]—Pamela O'Sullivan, Coll. at Brockport Lib., SUNY

Library Journal

Cassandra Campbell gives a stellar performance of this audiobook, set mainly in 1940s Los Alamos, New Mexico. The story is loosely based on the life of 19-year-old mathematician Charlie Fisk, who played a crucial role in the design of the detonator for the atomic bomb. The point of view alternates between Charlie and his sympathetic wife, Brenda, a musician. The sensations of their heady romance are superbly captured by Campbell. She clearly delivers complex scientific terminology and philosophical discourse, while creating a vibrant portrait of the increasingly tense atmosphere at Los Alamos as "the gadget" is being developed. The distinctive accents and speech patterns of the mostly male scientists, who come from several nations and all over the U.S., are expertly rendered by Campbell. M.J. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

MAY 2020 - AudioFile

Cassandra Campbell gives a stellar performance of this audiobook, set mainly in 1940s Los Alamos, New Mexico. The story is loosely based on the life of 19-year-old mathematician Charlie Fisk, who played a crucial role in the design of the detonator for the atomic bomb. The point of view alternates between Charlie and his sympathetic wife, Brenda, a musician. The sensations of their heady romance are superbly captured by Campbell. She clearly delivers complex scientific terminology and philosophical discourse, while creating a vibrant portrait of the increasingly tense atmosphere at Los Alamos as "the gadget" is being developed. The distinctive accents and speech patterns of the mostly male scientists, who come from several nations and all over the U.S., are expertly rendered by Campbell. M.J. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

MAY 2020 - AudioFile

2020-02-10
A story of wartime romance amid the moral quandaries of the Manhattan Project.

Kiernan is known for tackling big topics—the depredations of war (The Baker’s Secret, 2017, etc.) and scientific overreach (The Curiosity, 2013)—and this novel attempts to follow suit. When Brenda Dubie, a talented, conservatory-bound organist, meets Charlie Fish, she’s not impressed by the gangling math whiz despite his Harvard degree. Their accounts of what ensues alternate: hers in first person, at times looking back from the vantage point of an old woman, and his, in third person. Charlie is working on top-secret wartime projects at the University of Chicago, but his superiors are also not impressed by him—he's banished to a basement, where he, and we, learns far more than we’d ever hoped to about the niceties of soldering electrical circuits. Egged on by a mother who regrets her own shrewish behavior now that her husband and son are off to war, Brenda cautiously embarks on a courtship with Charlie. But as Brenda strives to suppress her spunkiness in order to support a vision of masculinity that doesn't even appear to be Charlie’s priority, Charlie is sent to New Mexico. Turns out all that soldering instilled just the detonation know-how required for the nascent A-bomb, aka The Gadget. Charlie, kind and humane, hates the idea of being, in effect, the Trigger (his nickname) for civilization’s potential destruction. His internal conflict is far more interesting than the romance. Brenda’s retrospective musings reveal a long marriage to Charlie. Kiernan overcompensates for that loss of suspense, interposing obstacles in the path of true love—a half-hearted detour with a handsome airman on Brenda’s part—but they’re mostly snits and misunderstandings that aren’t believably characteristic of either protagonist. Kiernan’s view of American women’s roles in World War II seems outdated even for that time. Contemporaneous accounts of the homefront belie his apparent supposition that all women did was pine for manly, battle-hardened men.

This drama of nuclear dawn fails to launch.

Kirkus Reviews