Have you ever wondered what goes on inside the mind of a child prodigy? And what about when that prodigy grows up? The Queen's Gambit is written from the perspective of a chess prodigy through the 50s and 60s. Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel follows the life of Beth Harmon. Beth is an 8-year-old orphan and chess prodigy. The story follows her from the time she is orphaned to her late teens. She is introduced to tranquilizers at a young age and struggles to overcome her reliance on various substances. For a book about a game I know nothing about, Tevis is able to translate the chess moves into universal terms I could still follow. The characters of this book fascinated me. It was intriguing to be inside the mind of a prodigy and I was never bored. The theme of overcoming addiction was compelling and I really rooted for her. The book was recently adapted into a series, this was how I was introduced to the book. If you enjoyed the characters of the series and want to learn more about them through a different medium I would strongly recommend it.
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