Ratner's Star is a 1976 novel by Don DeLillo. It relates the story of a child prodigymathematician who arrives at a secret installation to work on the problem of deciphering a mysterious message that appears to come from outer space. The novel has been described as "famously impenetrable".[1]
The novel is told in two parts; the first is a conventional narrative, the second is less so. The author has said that the structural model was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.[4] The novel develops the idea that science, mathematics, and logic—in parting from mysticism—do not contain the fear of death, and therefore offer no respite.
References
^Taylor, Christopher (5 May 2016). "Pure Vibe". London Review of Books. p. 15.