LEAN YOUR LONELINESS SLOWLY AGAINST MINE

Narrator Karen Gundersen fully expresses the musicality of this literary novel as she carefully combines melodic snatches of Norwegian, musical themes, and the lyricism of mathematics into a powerful story. The author's and translator's notes are a must-listen, as they explain the intricate structure of the story. Gundersen illuminates the patterns and repetitions that take place as the protagonist considers matters of science, love, longing, and life. Rakel is far more gifted at understanding numbers and music than people. Parallels between her and the first-ever female professor of mathematics, Sofja Kovalevskaja, who lived in the nineteenth century, are well drawn by Gundersen. One feels Rakel's and Sofja's passion and pain as they experience illness, love, and a drive to make sense of the universe. S.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2022]