Motion Sickness

In Motion Sickness, a young woman explores Europe, encountering colorful characters and navigating the complexities of life and identity through each unique experience.

In Motion Sickness, the narrator embarks on a journey through Europe, navigating life like an unguided tour filled with hotels, strangers, and the arts. Each city becomes a backdrop for a series of unusual encounters, where chance meetings and serendipity shape her experiences. As she wanders through the vibrant streets of London, Paris, and Barcelona, she finds herself surrounded by a cast of intriguing characters that influence her perspective and self-discovery.

In London, she forms a friendship with an expatriate American Buddhist and her enigmatic husband, who introduce her to new philosophies and ways of thinking. Paris offers her a chance to meet Arlette, a passionate art historian whose obsession with Velazquez’s ‘Las Meninas’ leads to deep discussions about art and meaning. Barcelona presents a different dynamic as she interacts with two generations of Germans, each with their own stories and insights that challenge her worldview.

The journey continues in Italy, where she shares a taxi ride with two unexpected Englishmen, all in pursuit of art and the legacy of Henry Moore. Throughout Motion Sickness, the narrator grapples with the significance of her experiences, often buying postcards to send to loved ones, only to tear them up in uncertainty. This contemporary picaresque novel blends humor with melancholy, reflecting the complexities of identity and reinvention through each new encounter.