The Albertine Notes was a whirlwind of a story, confusing in the way that Inception was. I feel like I need to read through it a second time in order to fully understand it, however, from just one reading themes that we have been discussing all semester did clearly emerge. The nostalgia that Albertine provided reminded me of Veigt’s perfume and the general attitude of the Watchmen – a longing for days before the apocalypse. Of course, I am not really sure that using the term “before” really applies here, given the way that time in the Albertine notes seems to exist as a pool. This seems somewhat distinct from both the linear concept of time, with one beginning (Genesis) and one end (as revealed to John), and the cyclical concept of time, where each end is also a beginning. In a way, Kevin (? is this his true name or is it Paley? either way, I’m referring to the narrator) acts as a prophet for his own different set of beliefs (shared by, it seems, most members of is society), based on the use and the effects of the drug Albertine. The future (and past, and present, which all run together) is revealed to him as it is to John, but the “divine” in this story is not God but the drug itself.  At the same time, Kevin is self-aware about the problems with the view of time and the use of Albertine his notes present: “there were some issues with a belief system like this” (141). His identity as a writer is central. While his writing could be seen as channeling Albertine in the way that John acts as a conduit for the word of God, his notes also serve to expose the very problems with the things he is “prophesizing.”

In terms of fitting in to the notion of time put forth by the notes, the ending fits in perfectly, precisely because it is not an ending at all. A few pages before the end, there is what might have been the ending if this were a story with a linear timeline – Kevin’s mother was the one who developed Albertine, and Kevin himself was Addict Zero. But then Kevin goes on, imagining himself exploring the post apocalyptic future in order to experience the past. This final scene seems to underscore the central message about time: the past, present and future are inextricably intertwined.