Mirror, Mask, and Mania

Zoe Kyriakidis, a brilliant but fragile young scientist, stares into a mirror before a prestigious talk at Harvard, struggling to compose herself. The mirror reflects not just her image but her fractured sense of self—caught between the expectations of her family, her own ambition, and the fear that she is an imposter. The ritual of putting on makeup becomes a metaphor for donning the mask she must wear to survive in the high-pressure world of elite science. As she prepares to step on stage, the boundaries between confidence and terror blur, foreshadowing the emotional and ethical challenges ahead.

Rivalry in the Lab

Zoe's journey begins in the crucible of Harvard's chemistry department, where she meets Jack Leahy, a mysterious and gifted student. Their initial interactions are defined by a subtle, intellectual rivalry—each trying to outdo the other in organic chemistry lectures and office hours. The competitive energy between them is both exhilarating and isolating, setting the stage for a relationship that will oscillate between collaboration and conflict. The lab becomes a battleground for recognition, and the seeds of both partnership and future betrayal are sown.

Games and Ghosts

As Zoe navigates her academic and social life, her past and family dynamics come into sharper focus. Childhood memories, especially of her father's world of male-dominated science, shape her sense of belonging and insecurity. Meanwhile, Jack's own troubled background—marked by poverty, trauma, and a relentless drive to escape—remains largely hidden but deeply influential. Both are haunted by ghosts: Zoe by the need to prove herself in a world that doubts her, Jack by the scars of his upbringing. Their connection deepens, but so do the unspoken wounds that will later drive them apart.

The Spark of Obsession

Zoe and Jack's rivalry evolves into a partnership as they begin to collaborate on a groundbreaking theory about the epigenetic basis of aging. Their intellectual synergy is electric, and the thrill of discovery becomes an addiction. They spend long hours in the lab, pushing each other to new heights, and the boundaries between work and personal life blur. The possibility of changing the world—and achieving immortality, in a sense—becomes their shared obsession. Yet, beneath the surface, the pressure mounts, and the first cracks in their relationship begin to show.

Mentors and Mothers

Both Zoe and Jack seek validation from mentors—Zoe from her parents and female professors, Jack from legendary scientists and, indirectly, from Zoe herself. The gendered expectations of science weigh heavily on Zoe, who feels she must be both brilliant and inoffensive. Jack, meanwhile, is driven by a need to prove his worth in a world that has always underestimated him. Their mentors offer both support and pressure, and the influence of family—especially Zoe's mother—remains a constant, shaping their choices and self-perceptions.

The First Betrayal

As their project gains momentum, the need for resources and recognition intensifies. Jack, desperate to secure their future, goes behind Zoe's back to approach a powerful professor and to run unauthorized experiments. This first act of secrecy is justified as a necessary risk, but it sets a precedent for the ethical compromises to come. Zoe, meanwhile, is torn between her loyalty to Jack and her own ambition. The partnership is tested, and the seeds of mistrust are planted, even as their scientific work reaches new heights.

The Partnership Forms

With the support of influential mentors and a successful pitch to venture capitalists, Zoe and Jack found Manna, a biotech startup aimed at curing aging. Their partnership is formalized, and they assemble a team—including Carter, a charismatic business mind, and Divya, a well-connected premed. The company's early days are marked by idealism, camaraderie, and a sense of invincibility. Zoe becomes the public face, while Jack leads the lab. The dream of changing the world seems within reach, but the pressures of leadership and the demands of investors begin to strain their relationship.

The Cost of Genius

The relentless pursuit of scientific and commercial success takes a toll on everyone. Zoe develops unhealthy coping mechanisms—overwork, disordered eating, and eventually substance abuse. Jack, too, is consumed by the need to deliver results, hiding his own health issues and ethical lapses. The team's personal lives unravel as the company grows, and the line between dedication and self-destruction blurs. The cost of genius is revealed to be not just professional risk, but profound personal suffering.

The Startup Dream

Manna becomes a media sensation, with Zoe celebrated as a woman in STEM and Jack mythologized as a mad genius. The company raises millions, moves into a gleaming Kendall Square office, and attracts the attention of major pharmaceutical firms. Yet, the myth of meritocracy is exposed as fragile: success depends as much on image, connections, and luck as on true innovation. The pressure to maintain the illusion of progress leads to further ethical compromises, and the dream of immortality begins to curdle into something darker.

Fame, Fraud, and Fallout

As Manna's claims come under scrutiny, internal whistleblowers and external critics raise alarms about the validity of the science. Zoe, increasingly isolated and addicted, struggles to hold the company together and maintain her own sanity. Jack, unable to deliver on the promises they've made, resorts to data manipulation and secrecy. The partnership that once seemed unbreakable is now defined by lies and mutual dependence. When the truth finally comes out, the fallout is swift and brutal: lawsuits, media frenzy, and the collapse of everything they've built.

The Cracks Appear

The consequences of their actions become inescapable. Jack's guilt and shame lead him to the brink, while Zoe faces public vilification, legal jeopardy, and the loss of her identity as a scientist. Friends and colleagues abandon them, and the once-glamorous world of biotech turns hostile. The narrative shifts from triumph to tragedy, as the cost of ambition and the dangers of unchecked belief are laid bare. Both must confront the reality of their choices and the limits of redemption.

Collapse and Confession

Unable to live with the weight of his deception, Jack takes his own life, leaving behind a confession that exonerates Zoe but cannot undo the damage. Zoe enters rehab, faces criminal charges, and endures a public trial. The story becomes a media spectacle, with Zoe cast alternately as villain and victim. In court, she is forced to confront not only the facts of the case but the deeper truths about herself, her relationship with Jack, and the nature of scientific ambition. The verdict is not guilty, but the sense of loss is overwhelming.

Judgment and Aftermath

In the aftermath, Zoe is left to pick up the pieces of her life. The world moves on, but she remains haunted by Jack's memory, the collapse of her dreams, and the question of whether she was complicit or merely naïve. The media, former colleagues, and even her own family offer little comfort. The myth of the genius founder is shattered, and the story becomes a cautionary tale about the perils of ambition, the seduction of fame, and the fragility of trust.

The Raven Returns

Zoe, now a pariah in the scientific community, struggles to find purpose. She is approached by a young scientist seeking her expertise, and the possibility of redemption flickers. The story comes full circle, as Zoe is forced to confront the ghosts of her past, the limits of forgiveness, and the enduring allure of discovery. The raven—a symbol of loss, memory, and the impossibility of return—hovers over the narrative, reminding her (and us) that some wounds never fully heal, but that life, and science, go on.

A New Beginning

In the final pages, Zoe tentatively re-engages with science, mentoring a new student and rediscovering the joy of inquiry. The story ends not with triumph or despair, but with a sense of humility and hope: the recognition that knowledge is always provisional, that ambition must be tempered by ethics, and that the pursuit of understanding is both infinite and deeply human.

Characters

Zoe Kyriakidis

Zoe is the novel's protagonist—a gifted young scientist whose ambition is matched only by her insecurity. Raised in the shadow of her father's academic success and her mother's social expectations, Zoe is both fiercely independent and desperate for approval. Her partnership with Jack is the axis around which her life spins: intellectually exhilarating, emotionally fraught, and ultimately tragic. Zoe's journey is one of self-discovery, as she grapples with the costs of genius, the seduction of fame, and the meaning of integrity. Her psychological arc moves from confidence to collapse to a tentative, hard-won humility.

Jack Leahy

Jack is Zoe's intellectual equal and eventual cofounder of Manna. His background is marked by poverty, trauma, and a relentless drive to escape his circumstances. Jack's brilliance is shadowed by deep wounds—he is both a survivor and a saboteur, capable of great insight and great deception. His relationship with Zoe is both a source of salvation and destruction. Jack's inability to reconcile his ambition with his ethics leads to the novel's central betrayal and his own tragic end. He is a study in the dangers of unchecked genius and the human need for connection.

Carter Gray

Carter is Manna's business mind—a charming, well-connected student who bridges the worlds of science and commerce. He is both a friend and a rival to Jack, and his romantic involvement with Zoe adds further complexity. Carter's motivations are pragmatic: he seeks security, recognition, and a place in the world of power. Ultimately, he is pushed out of Manna, but his testimony and perspective provide a counterpoint to the idealism and self-destruction of Zoe and Jack. Carter represents the compromises and calculations required to survive in the world of startups.

Divya Kaur

Divya is a premed student with powerful connections, brought into Manna for her access to venture capital. She is both a symbol of the startup world's reliance on image and networking, and a foil to Zoe's more earnest ambition. Divya's presence highlights the gendered and racial politics of science and business, as well as the ways in which credit and ownership are contested. Ultimately, she is pushed out, but her role underscores the transactional nature of the biotech world.

Alex Kyriakidis

Alex is Zoe's older brother, a successful scientist in his own right. He provides emotional support, practical advice, and a model of achievement that both inspires and intimidates Zoe. Their relationship is marked by both rivalry and deep affection. Alex's involvement in Manna and his later testimony at Zoe's trial highlight the importance of family, loyalty, and the limits of what can be known about those we love.

Margaret Kyriakidis (Zoe's Mother)

Margaret is a Southern transplant who brings both warmth and high expectations to her family. She is a constant presence in Zoe's life, offering both comfort and criticism. Her influence is felt in Zoe's self-presentation, her sense of duty, and her struggle to balance ambition with vulnerability. Margaret's role is to remind Zoe—and the reader—of the costs of striving and the importance of care.

Professor Brenna

Brenna is a fictionalized version of a Nobel-level scientist, representing both the glory days of science and its current limitations. He offers Zoe and Jack a lab, resources, and a model of intellectual courage. Yet, he is also distant, checked out, and ultimately unable to save them from themselves. Brenna's presence is both inspiring and cautionary—a reminder that genius is not enough, and that the structures of science can both enable and destroy.

Phoebe

Phoebe is Zoe's public speaking coach and later Manna's PR lead. She is a stabilizing force, helping Zoe navigate the demands of fame and crisis. Phoebe's role is to manage the narrative, both internally and externally, and to provide a voice of reason when others are losing their heads. She represents the often-invisible labor required to keep ambitious projects afloat.

Mira Joshi

Mira is a junior scientist at Manna whose warnings about the lab's practices are ignored. Her diaries become crucial evidence in Zoe's trial, highlighting the dangers of siloed work, lack of oversight, and the marginalization of those who speak up. Mira's perspective is a reminder of the ethical responsibilities that come with power and the importance of listening to dissenting voices.

Lily Harmon

Lily is a young PhD student who seeks out Zoe after the scandal, eager to learn from her ideas despite the controversy. Her presence at the novel's end offers a glimmer of hope: the possibility that knowledge, mentorship, and the pursuit of truth can survive even the most spectacular failures. Lily represents renewal, humility, and the enduring allure of science.

Plot Devices

Dual Protagonist Structure

The novel alternates between Zoe's and Jack's points of view, allowing the reader to see the same events through different psychological lenses. This structure deepens the emotional complexity, highlights the misunderstandings and secrets that drive the plot, and underscores the theme of partnership as both salvation and destruction.

Unreliable Narration and Self-Deception

Both Zoe and Jack are unreliable narrators, not only to the reader but to themselves. Their self-deceptions—about their own motives, the validity of their work, and the nature of their relationship—drive the story's central conflicts. The gradual revelation of Jack's data manipulation and Zoe's complicity (or naiveté) is handled through shifting perspectives, confessions, and external documents (emails, news articles, court transcripts).

Metafictional Elements and Media Framing

The novel incorporates media coverage, op-eds, court documents, and social media commentary, blurring the line between fiction and reality. This device exposes the ways in which narratives are constructed, reputations are made and unmade, and truth is mediated by public perception. The use of a TED talk, magazine features, and viral news stories situates the personal drama within a broader cultural context.

Scientific Metaphor and Symbolism

The science of aging and the quest for immortality serve as both literal and metaphorical engines for the plot. The epigenetic theory of aging, the manipulation of data, and the pursuit of a "cure" become symbols for the human desire to transcend limits, the dangers of hubris, and the inevitability of loss. Recurring motifs—mirrors, masks, ravens, storms—underscore the themes of memory, identity, and the impossibility of return.

Tragic Structure and Classical Allusion

The novel follows a classical tragic arc: the rise of gifted protagonists, their hubristic overreach, the unraveling of their achievements, and the final reckoning. Allusions to myth (Icarus, Gilgamesh, Genesis) and literature (Dickinson, Poe) situate the story within a tradition of cautionary tales about the limits of human striving.

Analysis

Notes on Infinity is a dazzling, devastating exploration of ambition, genius, and the human longing to transcend mortality. Through the intertwined stories of Zoe and Jack, Austin Taylor dissects the myth of the scientific prodigy and the seductive promise of the startup world. The novel exposes the costs of unchecked ambition: the ethical compromises, personal sacrifices, and psychological toll exacted by the pursuit of greatness. It interrogates the gendered and classed dynamics of science, the dangers of believing one's own hype, and the ways in which truth is constructed and contested in the age of media spectacle. Ultimately, the book is a meditation on the limits of knowledge, the necessity of humility, and the enduring hope that, even after catastrophe, the pursuit of understanding—and the possibility of redemption—remains. Taylor's narrative is both a cautionary tale and a love letter to science, reminding us that the quest for infinity is as perilous as it is irresistible.

Last updated: July 14, 2025