36 Arguments for the Existence of God

 36 Arguments for the Existence of God by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein (2010) 402 pages

In this work of fiction, Cass Seltzer, a professor at Frankfurter University in Boston has written a book titled "The Varieties of Religious Illusion," and has surprisingly (to him) garnered acclaim, with his book translated into 20+ languages. He's been interviewed numerous times and dubbed "The Atheist With a Soul" by Time magazine. He has been offered a position at Harvard after teaching several years at Frankfurter, where he obtained his doctorate.

The plot weaves back and forth in time, showing his life growing up with a mother who had fled her Hasidic roots, getting his premed undergrad degree from Columbia University, and his life's course abruptly changing when he follows Professor Jonas Elijah Klapper to Frankfurter University to study in the Department of Faith, Literature and Values. He has finally gotten over his divorce and is currently in a relationship with Lucinda, a hyper-competitive expert in Game Theory who is known for "fanging" lecturers.

The characters teem with quirkiness, especially Professor Klapper, a pompous teacher who disdains the sciences; Roz, an old girlfriend who spent years studying a tribe in the Amazon; and also Azarya, a Hasid child who figured out for himself–by age 6–prime numbers. I needed to keep a dictionary handy for this novel, even on my third trip into this academic world, but it was so worth it.