This novel, people have to read with the map of Paris open in front of them; even for those of us who have visited Paris, it is difficult to understand the constantly switching settings and the characters' actions without a map. The only fixed point in the story is the Café Condé where most of the characters congregate from time to time.

Granted, there is depth in some parts of the storytelling and characterization, but did this story really deserve the Nobel Prize? I can’t help but question it, and I am not blaming Chris Clarke, its translator, one bit.

For this novella-length story too many characters, who are depressives or with some darkness about them and mostly use aliases as well as their own names, can become another pothole for the reader’s comprehension; however, what irked me the most was that each chapter was told by a different character without duly noting in the beginning who the character was. One had to read a few pages to understand who was talking. Was it too difficult to attach the name of the speaker in the beginning of each chapter? I guess the omission came from trying to write some high-brow material like some of the barely understandable writings and speeches of the professors of academia.

The premise and some of the other elements are quite good and complex when one finally manages to get over the negatives of its presentation. The plot is composed and presented as a mystery, however without being one.

Several different characters in the story have some kind of a connection to a woman called Louki, her real name Jacqueline Choureau-Delanque of Montmartre 9th and 18th arrondissements and later of Montparnasse 6th and 14th arrondissements, but where Louki lives or has lived or her real name is a mystery in the beginning of the story. The chapter before the last is told by Louki, which explains some of the mystery. At the end of the story, all important characters come together for the highly dramatic conclusion.

the fact that the story reminded me of Paris.

the presentation or what seemed like the deliberate effort of the author to sound indecipherable or overly sophisticated.

not read anything written by Patrick Modiano.

is Patrick Modiano who is the author of Missing Person, Honeymoon,and Dora Bruder.

Read at your own risk. It is a very short book and you may get something out of it.

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Created Sep 26, 2016 at 1:56pm • Submit your own review...