"Simple Arithmetic" is an investigation into darkness and light. An American brother and sister arrive in Florence, Italy to settle an inheritance quarrel, but when Victor and Brenda meet after ten years apart, they discover they agree on very little, especially about what to do with their mother's house in Iowa. Their lawyer has suggested selling it and splitting the profits as the sensible, simple thing to do. But Victor and Brenda aren't simple people, nor are they in a simple place. Florence, Italy has known both darkness and light over centuries. As days pass, that city, its inhabitants, and its mysteries, as well as a sister city, Venice, help guide the brother and sister toward agreement. But the conclusions they come to, and the events that occur, are not what either has expected, nor will a reader anticipate them. The characters are entirely fictional and arrived, much to the author's surprise, fully formed and eager to tell their stories. Some walks around the city, and dining there, by the author introduced ways to help the brother and sister rediscover themselves and their relationship, but Victor and Brenda remained stubbornly their own persons until the very end. The mysteries of heavenly visitors, however, seem to promise on going events for both of them.