It relates the story of a child prodigy mathematician who arrives at a secret installation to work on the problem of deciphering a mysterious message that appears to come from outer space.

[1] The novel has been described as a Menippean satire and akin to the works of Thomas Pynchon.

[2] In critical reviews, the protagonist, Billy Twillig, was compared to Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist in Kurt Vonnegut's 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five.

The author has said that the structural model was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.

[4] The novel develops the idea that science, mathematics, and logic—in parting from mysticism—do not contain the fear of death, and therefore offer no respite.