return to the void

"Alas and alack for Alaric and his lass!" (p. 212)

This line of prose is evidence of what can be achieved with written language. This line, which comes late in A Void, is quite poignant and deliberate in its delivery--a smack on the head, really. With its rampant use of a vowel other than "e," it is a reminder of the mysterious omissions in the novel, as well as of the creations that can occur despite these omissions. On a quest to find the meaning behind Anton Vowl's disappearance and enigmatic pre-vanish diary entries, the characters in the novel all make sly references to things that are missing and to outlandish plot lines giving way to beauty or understanding. Perec knows what he's doing, and his proclivity for wordplay allows him to do it without it seeming trite. Just read the line over and over: the A's, the similarity in sounds between completely different words--lyrical. I'm almost to the end, and I'm sure a doozy of a climax awaits.