Gut Symmetries

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Gut Symmetries is a 1997 novel by Jeanette Winterson. It blends science with romance in a story about a love triangle among Alice, a young British physicist; Jove, a Princeton physicist; and Jove's wife Stella. Alice has relationships with both. The title refers to grand unified theories (GUTs) in physics and to the idea of symmetry in the universe.

Publication details: Granta Books, 1997, 240 pages.

Reception: The book was praised for its ambition and style but described as challenging. Audrey Bilver of the LA Times called it challenging but worthwhile, a walking meditation that invites readers to feel insights in the gut and to sense mysteries beyond analysis. Bruce Bawer of the New York Times found it hard to read despite its short length, but praised Winterson's fresh, vivid writing. Chris Kridler of the Baltimore Sun felt it aimed for the gut but ended up dazzling the intellect without fully delivering.