Sebald's novel Austerlitz revolves around the personal journey of a young man named Jacques Austerlitz as he tries to remember his past. He was sent from Czechoslovakia to Britain to escape from the Germans in 1939, as a young child. As soon as he became self-aware, Jacques began to search for his parents. Relying upon a flaky memory, he sets off to research all that he can about his parents and their fates.
Jacques is obsessed with the past. His every waking moment is backward-leaning. As he travels through Europe looking for answers, his inability to live in the present dramatically alters his mental health. Jacques has several mental breakdowns, the last one of which lands him in the hospital. Whether intentional or not, Sebald is commenting on a fundamental of mental instability. Focusing solely upon the past will always drive a person mad because they are missing the present consequences of their actions.
Along his journey Jacques meets and befriends several people. Everyone seems to be able to recognize his kind spirit and determination. What's unique about Sebald's novel is his decision about perspective; the book is narrated in the first person but not from Jacques' point of view. Instead, a friend whom Jacques meets in the 60's writes about interactions with Jacques as they occur over the years. This unconventional perspective shift -- the narrate the story in first person but not from the protagonist's perspective -- helps audiences to sympathize with Jacques better. His devotion to his family is admirable and also his choices to help other people get the answers about their pasts as well. Through the eyes of a somewhat anonymous narrator, readers can maintain the objectivity to analyze Jacques' actions appropriately and to feel for him.
