Adrian Duncan's novel The Geometer Lobachevski, translated by Marie Hermet, follows Nikolai Lobachevski, a Soviet geometer sent to survey lands in the Irish Midlands as part of industrialization efforts. The novel begins with Lobachevski encountering unstable terrain, where the bog does not conform to his expectations of measurement. In the Irish Midlands, he observes that the landscape resists calculation, leading to a shift in the narrative's focus from technical precision to the interplay between political fear and personal introspection. The novel's central conflict emerges when Lobachevski is ordered to return, but he refuses, stating, "I cannot return, Gunter, I say, that I know." This refusal marks a turning point in the story, leading to a flight to an island in the estuary of the Shannon, where the characters must relearn how to perceive the world. Duncan's narrative style is noted for its ability to make technical thought sensitive without reducing the story to a demonstration of logic. In the novel, a character named Kolim suggests rounding off numbers to move forward, highlighting the tension between exactness and practicality. Another character, referred to as Of French, is described as an extravagant collector who tells unbelievable stories, yet he also provides a key insight: "I just like to tell the stories that are hidden behind." This reflects the novel's exploration of hidden narratives and the significance of objects as reservoirs of memory. Duncan's meticulous descriptions of tools, gestures, and surfaces sometimes stretch the narrative, temporarily reducing the tension in the insular setting. However, this slowness is not without purpose, as it builds a universe where every movement is significant. The novel culminates in a moment of uncertainty, where Lobachevski admits, "I close my eyes and wait for a trajectory that I will have difficulty calculating and even more to understand." The novel is described as demanding and occasionally too scrupulous in its survey of the world, yet it remains remarkably coherent in its exploration of the interplay between matter, memory, and the systems to which humans attempt to submit.