By Samantha Diaz
Fate brought them together; theory kept them going.
Decisions may lead someone to certain points in their life, but does fate actually pave the road? Lauren Kung Jessen discusses the philosophical question “Is it fate or human choice?” in her sophomore novel, Red String Theory, an opposites-attract romance.
An artist and a NASA engineer. Two polar opposites who fall in love despite the trials and errors of their fate-or-decision hypothesis as they test fate to find out if decisions are actually human-made or pieces the universe laid out for people.
Rooney Something Gao (Something is really her middle name) is RSG, aka Red String Girl. She is an artist designing installations within the public sphere. Her first piece “Entangled” is made out of red yarn and was installed in Washington Square Park in New York City to bring people together through fate. Her idea is to have passerbyers leave notes and take a note from within the string as part of an interactive art form presenting the idea of fate.
Of course, nothing ever goes as planned when Rooney’s famous artist mom, Wren Gao, finds a typo on the note cards meant for the people to write and leave behind in the art piece. Absolutely convinced that her installation will be a success, Rooney brushes off the small speed bump and goes back to the print shop to order a new batch.
Meanwhile, Jack is in the city for a conference where he would be speaking on his Mars mission to an important committee. His goal is to finally get promoted from systems engineer to senior engineer at NASA. However, given his lack of volunteering extracurriculars within the company, he was always passed over for a promotion—three times to be precise. As he waits at the print shop for his presentation pamphlets, Rooney walks in dressed in her all red attire. Her effortless demeanor catches Jack’s attention.
The two casually speak when Jack comments how cold it is outside. Rooney pulls out a handmade knitted red scarf from her purse and offers it to Jack, who refuses at first, until he finally caves in and accepts the gift. Rooney calls it her Red Thread of Fate Scarf. Rooney explains to Jack what she means by its name: “It’s a Chinese legend where Yuè Lâo, the god of love and marriage, connects two people by the ankles with a red thread. Those two people are destined to be lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. The magical string may stretch or tangle, but never break.” This ties back to how Rooney built her brand, by creating art with red string centering her theme on fate.
Rooney and Jack’s conversation ends when the pamphlets are ready to go. In a time crunch, Jack needs to head to his presentation so the two say their goodbyes with Rooney wishing Jack ‘“May our paths cross again.”’ He is then left in the freezing New York weather.
The entire story is full of such chance encounters. Rooney and Jack cross paths throughout the story, surprising each other when they meet out of sheer coincidence. Given Rooney’s belief in fate and Jack’s logical mentality, they devise a checklist called the Fate Tests to theorize if events happen by chance or decisions.
The biggest conflict within the novel is that of fate versus decisions. Rooney and Jack take the side they believe to be true. Rooney argues, “It guides the important stuff. Not what kind of tea I drink. You don’t ever feel like you come across opportunities or events or people in your life because you were meant to?” Batting for the theoretical side, Jack counters, “I think what we experience is because of decisions we’ve made in life. We make a lot of small choices every day. Those decisions add up. And those decisions have consequences. Decisions that we made.”
If I were asked whether I think fate plays a role in my life or if my decisions lead me to where I am now, I’d say it’s a mixture of both. For instance, I decided to attend graduate school; I chose to go to my university; and I chose which classes I wanted. However, fate led me to this specific university where I met classmates who have become lifelong friends. If I hadn’t decided to go to this school I most likely would never have met these people.
Based on this discussion, what would you say, fate or decisions?
Besides the interesting debate of fate versus decisions, another standout of the novel is the exceptionally well-crafted dialogue from Jack and Rooney, regarding any and all science knowledge. For example, Jack explains all the NASA material with simplicity. Not only is he an engineer, but he teaches kids STEM at the Griffith Observatory, which explains Jack’s ease with clarity (Side note: The main characters from her novel, Lunar Love, make an appearance in the story as friends of Jack, whom he met through the STEM events). Seriously, the author did a great job at stringing together a sentence that informs without being complex or overstated. Since my curiosity got the better of me, I skipped to the acknowledgments page before I finished the novel and learned that the author had spoken with actual NASA scientists; talk about dedication. I truly appreciated her research and time writing an entertaining exchange from a logical character such as:
“‘Next question: How far away is Mars?’
‘Depends on where it is in its orbit around the sun. They have elliptical paths, so their minimum distance is never the same.’”
Rooney brings a different perspective that is refreshing and hopeful. She understands Jack and is open to his interpretation of fate. As a character, Rooney is thoughtful, curious, and a bit of a rebel. Like many of the greatest romance protagonists, she follows her heart and trusts fate to bring her where she needs to be, which leads her to Jack. The first night she spends with Jack, they wander New York City until midnight. While they have no idea where they would end up, Rooney puts her trust in the universe to take her and Jack to memorable places.
“I know these Fate Tests won’t actually do me any good, but I had fun playing along with Jack. In his way of understanding me better, I also got to know him better. The man who needs operationalizing and tests and measurements. No, tests won’t help me find my string mate. I’ll leave that up to fate.”
For being opposites, Rooney and Jack understand and accept one another. They have different beliefs and come from different upbringings, yet they felt the same feelings growing up that molded to who they are as adults. It is the thrill of adventure that brings them closer, but it is love in their hearts that makes them want to spend the rest of their lives together.
This novel may have been the best story I have read in a long time. It is so well-written with thought-provoking topics that it was easy to consume. I couldn’t believe how fast I finished it! The amount of detail and characterization painted the scenes to create this vibrant, hopeful world. My favorite part of Red String Theory is the dialogue. It’s witty and clever with clear tones and personalities. I learned so much about art, science, and philosophy from these characters. Lauren Kung Jessen writes about these topics so smoothly that I didn’t realize what I was reading were topics I genuinely never talk about in my personal life. On top of that, I couldn’t get enough of these conversations in this novel.
Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen is the newest romance that will be discussed for decades. It is a heartwarming read that debuts the lifelong question, “Is it fate or human decisions?” Written with immense care, this novel reminds us of the bigger picture when we think of love, passion, and happiness.
Red String Theory is available from Bookshop, Garden District Bookshop, The Ripped Bodice, Vroman’s Bookstore, Waucoma Bookstore, and 27th Letter Books.
Samantha Desirae Diaz is a writer who explores true crime, paranormal, and romance stories. Born and raised in Chino, CA, she earned her B.A. in screenwriting from California State University, Northridge, and her M.F.A. in creative writing from Chapman University.