Das flüssige Land

A surreal satire that blends metaphysics, Austrian culture, and society's unspoken agreement to deny its dark secrets. A hidden Austrian mountain village seems to exist outside of time and outside of governmental registers. The village sits on top of a former mine, that inexplicably expands and slowly causes the landscape, streets and buildings to rupture. A dark secret from the past seems to be tied to the cave and a mysterious countess seems to possess sole authority and ownership over everyone's destiny. Satires and surreal stories in general make it hard to emotionally connect with them. But this book is smart enough, and full of interesting angles that invite interpretation, that I still could enjoy this a lot. A knowledge of Austrian history and Austrian mentality, might be a requirement though. The writing and the feeling to drift out of control in a surreal world, reminded me of [b:Der Vogelgott 38607105 Der Vogelgott Susanne Röckel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518897589l/38607105.SY75.jpg 60216062]. The village repeating the seemingly sisyphean task of filling the hole underneath their feet, is reminiscent of [b:The Woman in the Dunes 9998 The Woman in the Dunes Kōbō Abe https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361254930l/9998.SY75.jpg 58336]. I think I am slightly disappointed by the ending, but right now I couldn't come up with a different more satisfying ending to this story.