The Housekeeper and the Professor

The Housekeeper and the Professor tells the story of a brilliant mathematician who, after a traumatic accident, can retain memories for only eighty minutes. A young housekeeper and her son, known simply as Root, enter his carefully structured world and form an unlikely bond built on trust, patience, and kindness.

Through quiet moments and shared rituals, Yoko Ogawa explores the nature of memory, the beauty of mathematics, and the deep connections that can exist even without permanence. The novel is a meditation on love, loss, and what it means to belong.

1. The characters in the novel are nameless. How does the absence of names affect your connection to them as a reader? Are names essential to identity?

2. How does Ogawa creatively portray a character with only eighty minutes of short-term memory? Which details felt most moving or realistic to you?

3. Though the Professor remains static, the relationships among the three deepen. What does the novel suggest about memory and the foundations of meaningful relationships?

4. The Professor speaks of math proving the existence of God but not the devil. How does this paradox apply to memory, love, or human experience?

5. Many families in the novel are broken. What does Ogawa suggest about the nature of family and belonging?

6. Did your perception of the Professor change as his past was revealed? How would you describe the nature of his relationship with the Housekeeper?