Book of the Week

Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre 
Recommended by David Brown
 
Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre is now almost 85 years old and yet its themes remain relevant to this day. This philosophical fiction takes the form of a diary by protagonist Roquentin, a 30 year old author of  historical fiction who inhabits a small hotel room in the French town of Bouville (which translates to mud town), and as the novel progresses the extent of his isolation becomes increasingly evident. 
 

The novel is defined by the motif Sartre presents throughout: the occasional awareness of one's cognition, presented as moments in which the character is literally enveloped by these intrusive thoughts, or 'Nausea'. These moments act as an important character study for Roquentin, as having moments to peer into his unprocessed mental state allows for a commentary on the epidemic that is Nausea and the type of people it might affect. I found that these were the moments when the greatest insights into Sartre’s philosophy were revealed, as well as some of the most satisfying moments within the novel because the events preceding them built up tension within the mind of the character and reader before erupting into grand frenzies of thought. 

 
As the novel continues the reader begins to uncover the factors responsible for causing Roquentin’s isolation, and the repeated inaction he has taken to escape it. This is especially evident during the climax of the novel, the event that seems able to break him out of the cycle, having been developed over the course of the book. Sartre masterfully uses various genre tropes to contort expectations, presenting the protagonist as the hero of his story when in reality he is a passenger in another's. It is this theme which I found effective as a call to action for the reader and a window into Sartre's existentialist spirit, making it memorable and thought-provoking despite the vast number of perceivable differences between the context this novel was created in and that affecting the impact it may have on modern readers. 

Although I enjoyed the novel I did however recognise certain aspects which may deter different readers, such as the slow pacing and lack of interesting characters or locations: for instance, the Autodidact (or self-taught man), who is largely just a straw man for a belief system which Sartre holds a particular disdain for. Otherwise, I found that the uninspired setting and unremarkable events were sometimes vividly described as well as entirely necessary in expressing key themes within the novel; having a character who’s suffocated by the apathy of his surroundings would be less effective in expressing its message if it lacked the relatability to the reader through exploring the monotonous tedium present to varying extents within our own lives. 

 

To conclude, I found Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre a uniquely enjoyable experience despite the slow pacing and occasional insipid characterisation, setting and events. This was particularly because of the periods of observation within the novel, something unique to the genre and utilised to great effect over the course of the narrative. If anything I have said about the novel has piqued your interest I would definitely recommend reading it.