Click here to see my review on Goodreads. ♡
* The author kindly sent me a Pdf. version of his book. In exchange, here is my honest review.
It had been such a long time since I had last read a short story. I think my last one was somewhere during my second year of college, which starts becoming quite long ago. That is part of the reason why I was so happy when the author contacted me: it would be great to read a short story again.
The short story: a misunderstood genre.
Most people think, at least I have met these people in school, that short stories are an “easy way to become a writer”. I could not agree less, really. In my eyes, they are one of the hardest genre to choose insofar as you have less time to provide the meaning you want to provide. When you write a novel, you have time for digressions, but not when you write a short story. When you write a short story, everything needs to have meaning and to lead to wherever you want to go.
You may also like: My other book reviews.
A format which reminded me of a famous author.
Who do you think about if I tell you that everything takes place the same day in that story? Hmmm? VIRGINIA WOOLF! And especially her (really famous, and really great) book entitled Mrs. Dalloway. Here, we are not really in a stream of consciousness mode, but we are still rather not-so-far from that way of writing. We are given C.’s feelings, and let me tell you he is a rather complex (and interesting) character.
Did the author win & manage to give meaning in a short amount of pages?
Short answer: yes. As I just wrote, C. is a complex character and I love him. He is anxious, clearly unhappy, and not always agreeable, but who does not fall in love with these characters at least once every three books?
SMALL SPOILER ALERT : the theme of the short story & final thoughts about France.
The main topic discussed is, I think, the personas we use in our everyday life in order to “fit in”. When you work, for instance, you can’t be as outgoing as you are when you are out with friends. It is a story about how using these personas too much can be bad for our mental health. At least that was my reading of it. That is a topic that fascinates me, and something I could totally write about on my blog so, obviously, I have loved reading about it!
Finally, may I say that I loved all these references to France? A lot of you may not be aware of it but I am French myself so if you want references to French books, the Eiffel Tower and Montpellier, just have a read!
You may also like: Book Review: Ubiety – Grzegorz Kunowski
The English-speaking Frenchie 