Vertigo - W.G. Sebald

United by the inveterate alcoholism of the Tyrol which is known for its extremism far beyond the region, these Innsbruck dossers, some of whom appeared to have only recently dropped out of ordered life, while others were already in a completely ruinous state, and every single one of whom had something of the philosopher or even of the preacher about him, were holding forth on current events as well as the most fundamental questions. It was remarkable in their disputations that those who chimed in at the top of their voices were invariably the ones who left off in mid-sentence, suddenly silenced as if by stroke. Whatever happend to be the topic, every point was underscored by highy theatrical, apodictic gestures, and even when one of their number, no longer able to put into words the thought which had just come into his head, turned away with a wave of contempt, it seemed to me as if their manner derived from a distinctive dramatic repertoire completely unknown on the stage. Possibly this was because all of them were holding their beer bottles in thier right hands, and were thus in a sense acting out one-armed, left-handed roles. And perhaps, I concluded from this observation, it might be a good ploy to tie the right hands of all drama students behind their backs for a year at the start of their training.

This is Sebald's first novel and every bit as wonderful as his others. Like Austerlitz and The Rings of Saturn, this is also a trance-like travelogue. The travels in Sebald's books are more about the exploration of memory and history, than details of place. In Vertigo, he weaves four stories around a theme of self-exploration. The intersections of these stories are not clearly demarked and perhaps more like electron clouds around a nucleus. I read this book not knowing where it would it would take me, nor caring as an enjoyable spell is cast taking one out of time while reading.

As intriguing as the text are the pictures Sebald inserts throughout this book. One could browse through the book looking at all the pictures and have little idea what the book is about. However, most would find themselves wanting to solve the mystery of the strange pictures. Rather than solving a mystery in his travels, Sebald seems to uncover deeper and deeper mysteries. A completely unique and fascinating book.