The cherry blossoms might be blooming right outside his window but the Professor in this delightful novel wants none of it. Ever since a car crash took away most of his memory, he’s most secure in his single shed-like home and doesn’t want to venture out into the world. But the titular housekeeper draws him out and makes space for him in the universe. From him she learns the meditative beauty of math and works around his handicap of being able to have a memory span that lasts only 80 minutes. Without a hint of melodrama, this novel is magical.
