Nina Dashevskaya is writing about music, as always... (This book is also about mathematics, after all, music theory is just algebra.) The format is a series of monologues by two teenage musicians. One is considered strange by everyone, although he considers everyone else strange and himself ordinary. The other wishes he were strange, but thinks he is blatantly mediocre. In reality, of course, both are incredibly cool; they compose music, their thoughts are not banal, their actions are noble, their interests are diverse, but they still need to learn how to be at peace with all the life around them. By reflecting, going through various life situations, and interacting with people both near and far, the characters begin to feel that "abnormalities" are normal, and it is our quirks that make us interesting.
"Is there even anyone normal around me?" "And me? What am I like? Do I even want to be normal, or not?" - such questions arise on the final pages.
Dashevskaya has an amazing command of language; she captures the speech of teenagers so well that it feels as if the whole book was recorded from life. As if the author followed the prototype for her character and transcribed everything he said and everything he thought, with all the irregularities, unfinished sentences, racing thoughts, and parenthetical comments... The most striking thing is that there isn't a single profane word, nor are there any teenager slang words. Yet the intonation sounds alive. And if you listen even more closely, it turns out that teenagers are sad people. Especially when they are left alone with themselves.
"The Day of Pi" by Nina Dashevskaya is for readers aged 12 and up who are inclined toward introspection.
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