Abissology: Traumatic Memory in Esther Kinsky’s Novel Rombo (2022)

Abstract

In her book Rombo (2022) Esther Kinsky traces the devastating earthquakes in north-east Italy in 1976 on the basis of natural and cultural observations and the memories of those affected. Earthquakes suddenly open up chasms that shake our certainties. They are caused by underground displacements and collapses of so-called abissi, that is, abysses or cavities in the rock. In structuring her novel, Kinsky quotes writings from abissology, a branch of early geology, and subtly draws connections between nature and the human condition. The chapter explores this primarily through the representation and role of memory and emphasises how the text works with fragments, linking observations of nature, photographs, (partly) fictitious memory logs and reflection, science and folklore. How do people deal with the traumatic experience of the abyss? How does trauma shape our understanding of life and the world? How does memory serve to draw a parallel between the mountain interior and the human? The interplay between remembering and forgetting plays a decisive role in this process and gains clarity in the abissi. The abissi can also be found allegorically in people’s memories, where they harbour important signs of life and experiences. The trauma locked away in these cavities continues to have an effect and can suddenly have a destructive impact. If we ignore it, it will destroy us when we are shaken. If we track it down, we can emerge anew from the collapse. Kinsky’s Rombo is therefore a plea to pursue the abyss, the trauma, and to translate the traces of life it contains into a conscious form.