I loved this novel: the writing, the finely drawn characters, the story... I savored its sweetness and subtlety.
The personalities and backgrounds of each character are so realistic that you're transported, without warning, into their minds, thanks to a sublimely authentic style of writing. All are secretive, modest, firmly rooted in their past or their torments, and wonderfully scowling. Their solitudes confront each other and subtly manage to shake each other's shackles. It's this gentleness that I particularly appreciated in this novel.
Beyond their stories, the backdrop of history is told in such a way that it resonates differently and becomes much more palpable.
âTu vois, câest marrant la vie. Il tâarrive un truc, tu crois que ce nâest pas de veine, et puis tu te rends compte plus tard quâen fait, tu as eu un bol de dingue. Le gars est mort et moi je suis toujours vivant. Comme quoi, des fois, ça ne sert Ă rien de se lamenter de ce qui tâarrive.â