In the fifth episode of The Irish Books Podcast, host Dr Chris Murray and guest Associate Professor Lucy Collins meet on a misty morning at University College Dublin to explore Adrian Duncan’s latest novel, The Gorgeous Inertia of the Earth.
The discussion centres on John Molloy, a restorative sculptor whose life is defined by a deep investment in stone and a profound incapacity for emotional articulation.
[Photographed here by Miriam Guterland, Michael Klein's statue Bettina and Achim von Arnim is among Duncan's inspirations for this novel]
A Life Built in Stone
John’s journey takes him from an Irish childhood to Eastern Europe, the US, and finally Italy, where he finds a settled life with Bernadette, an Italian sociologist. Their early connection is forged through a shared passion for stone, a bond that ties their relationship to material reality rather than conventional romance.
A Character of Repression: John is described as a "strange," "repressed," and "tentative" figure who lives largely in his head, occupied by endless observation of the material world.
A Crisis of Detachment: The novel’s second half, set when John is in his mid-fifties, follows a single day in Bologna. Triggered by news of a friend’s terminal illness, John undergoes a "crisis of faith" as he struggles to process grief through the traditional act of prayer something he ultimately finds has only done damage.
Against the Easy Metaphor
One of the most striking aspects of Duncan’s prose is its deliberate avoidance of literary clichés. The experts discuss how the novel warns us off metaphor, refusing to allow John’s work in restoration to serve as a simple allegory for his own fragmented past.
[Duncan refers to the statue Kritios Boy repeatedly during the novel]
Intense Materiality: The book is intensely descriptive, focusing on the weight, texture, and color of rocks, and the specific ways they fragment under pressure.
The Power of Touch: A pivotal scene involving a fallen hot air balloon highlights John’s sensory engagement with the world, a "tactility" that reappears later when he touches a forbidden statue of the Virgin Mary.
A Sculptural Page: The physical layout of the book itself reflects its themes, using vast amounts of white space or negative space to create natural pauses between John's observations and memories.
The Shadow of the Apparition
The discussion delves into John’s complicated relationship with Irish Catholicism, rooted in a childhood trauma. His mother once witnessed a Marian apparition, an event rejected by her community and the institutional Church, leading to her institutionalisation.
Institutional Policing: The experts analyse the "authoritarian quality" of institutional religion in the novel, which polices the boundaries of personal faith and shuts down idiosyncratic spiritual experiences.
A Transnational Identity: Despite these Irish roots, the novel feels firmly in the tradition of the European novel, focused more on philosophical ideas and individual subjectivities than on community or "people-centered" drama.
Listen to the Full Discussion
Does John eventually find meaning in human love, or does he remain "marooned in his own stasis"? Join Chris and Lucy as they navigate this novel of ideas and its unique exploration of art, faith, and the human bond that sustains us.
Listen to Episode 5: Adrian Duncan’s The Gorgeous Inertia of the Earth wherever you get your podcasts.
The Irish Books Podcast is proudly produced by East Coast Studio with support from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Embassy of Ireland Australia, and Monash University.
https://www.instagram.com/serpentstail/
https://www.instagram.com/adrian__duncan__/?hl=en
Follow the Irish Books Podcast channel on WhatsApp
Follow the Irish Books Podcast on Instagram
