Luminous mysteries

Rita is dedicated. Ask her math students, or her brother, Grim - whom she raised after their mother died and their father disappeared - or her husband, Mayes Mello, a cryophysicist. They'll all agree. What they won't say is that Rita is also prone to hallucinations and at times is "in danger.". Rita's is a world of orphans, disconnected from their lineage, from their history, bouncing between destitution and hope. Even though their bond - the history of their race - may seem as incidental as the time and place they share, they hold on, reaching out and struggling to make connections. John Holman looks into a world in which a lot is happening, yet none of the characters quite know what's behind it - luminous mysteries.