The Book of Disquiet

One hot day, Soares is overwhelmed by anxiety while writing. When the heat abates and the rain starts, he feels better. He sits in the office and studies the rain through the window. He tries to learn from the passersby he observes in the street. Just yesterday, he saw a man who made him realize the intensity of human disillusionment. He doesn’t think people can truly understand each other, though the soul is constantly striving for understanding. He visits a café and studies the other customers, searching for some truth. He wonders if anyone can ever possess another person’s soul. He considers the absurdity of love.

Soares believes happiness and affirmation are also flimsy concepts. Everything feels useless and dreams are the only truth.

Soares tries to distract himself from his feelings by listening to other people’s conversations. He records a series of exchanges, inserting invented lines of dialogue. He admits these conversations are absurd but embraces this absurdity. Life is nothing more than an experiment anyway. He likes to imagine himself traveling to other places and being other people.

Soares takes a walk and studies the city. The sights exhaust him, but he’s unsure if it’s the city or himself.