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The ending was not what I expected. I thought Mattia would return to Italy forever, and he and Alice would develop their friendship into a romantic relationship/marriage. Although, since they are twin primes, it's impossible to close that distance between them. Alone but together in their solitude is what draws them to each other. However I feel that in the ending they were both showing emotional growth in the separate paths that they took going forward.
I thought it was interesting that even though they reject (Mattia) or are rejected by (Alice) the outside world there are others who love them and want to engage with them in a meaningful relationship that they have difficulty connecting with. There is also pain for their family, friends, coworkers and romantic interests from the inability to get through their hard shells of solitude.
One aspect that I did not expect in the novel for both of the characters was the self-harming, Mattia through cutting and Alice through anorexia (also the tattoo symbolism).
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