What do you think?
Rate this book
The Eskimo Solution
‘It’s the story of forty-something Louis – a nice guy, but broke – who kills his mother for the inheritance…’
A children’s writer rents a house on the Normandy coast where he plans to write his first crime novel. There, away from his love life, his editor and his friends, he’ll be free to pen the story of Louis, who after killing his mother, is inspired to relieve his friends of their own burdensome elderly relatives.
But even far away from everything he knows, distractions seem to find their way to his door: from his lovable elderly neighbours, to his girlfriend’s tearaway teenage daughter. And somehow, events from his life appear to overlap with those of his imagination…
Pascal Garnier combines the style of Simenon, the insight of Camus with a wit that is all his own.
Praise for Pascal Garnier
PRAISE FOR PASCAL GARNIER
‘Garnier plunges you into a bizarre, overheated world, seething death, writing, fictions and philosophy. He’s a trippy, sleazy, sly and classy read.’ A. L. Kennedy
‘Reminiscent of Joe Orton and the more impish films of Alfred Hitchcock and Claude Chabrol’ Sunday Times
‘A guaranteed grisly thriller’ ShortList
‘Brief, brisk, ruthlessly entertaining … Garnier makes bleakness pleasurable’ John Powers, National Public Radio
A children’s writer rents a house on the Normandy coast where he plans to write his first crime novel. There, away from his love life, his editor and his friends, he’ll be free to pen the story of Louis, who after killing his mother, is inspired to relieve his friends of their own burdensome elderly relatives.
But even far away from everything he knows, distractions seem to find their way to his door: from his lovable elderly neighbours, to his girlfriend’s tearaway teenage daughter. And somehow, events from his life appear to overlap with those of his imagination…
Pascal Garnier combines the style of Simenon, the insight of Camus with a wit that is all his own.
Praise for Pascal Garnier
PRAISE FOR PASCAL GARNIER
‘Garnier plunges you into a bizarre, overheated world, seething death, writing, fictions and philosophy. He’s a trippy, sleazy, sly and classy read.’ A. L. Kennedy
‘Reminiscent of Joe Orton and the more impish films of Alfred Hitchcock and Claude Chabrol’ Sunday Times
‘A guaranteed grisly thriller’ ShortList
‘Brief, brisk, ruthlessly entertaining … Garnier makes bleakness pleasurable’ John Powers, National Public Radio
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
2 people are currently reading
473 people want to read
About the author
Pascal Garnier
86 books102 followersPascal Garnier, who died in March 2010, was a talented novelist, short story writer, children’s author and painter. From his home in the mountains of the Ardèche, he wrote fiction in a noir palette with a cast of characters drawn from ordinary provincial life. Though his writing is often very dark in tone, it sparkles with quirkily beautiful imagery and dry witted humour. Garnier’s work has been likened to the great thriller writer, Georges Simenon. Gallic books has now published many of his titles, including - The Panda Theory, How’s the Pain?, The Islanders, Moon in a Dead Eye, and The Front Seat Passenger.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
Read
December 11, 2023
Thanks to Gallic Books, twelve novels by Pascal Garnier are currently available in English - all crime noir, all existential.
By this reviewer's judgement, The Eskimo Solution is the most unique of the twelve since it features two interrelated stories: 1) an author of children's books striking out to write his first thriller, a tale of murder; 2) the murder tale itself as a work-in-progress.
The Eskimo Solution is one intricately plotted novel with surprises at every curve and twist. Among the pleasures a reader will discover turning the pages is the way in which the evolving tale of murder overlaps with the actual happenings surrounding the writer and those unfolding real life events, in turn, influencing the author's tale.
Sound complicated? Although the first chapter might appear to be a bit knotty (the novel is 21 chapters long), once a reader clicks into the rhythm of the two intertwining plots, The Eskimo Solution makes for an engaging, even entertaining, read.
As a nod of respect to Pascal Garnier, I'll make an immediate shift from duel plot development to a quintet of Eskimo themes:
Garnier Gambit - "Every day at the same time I go up to my study, read over these pages and ask myself, 'What's the point of writing a story I already know of by heart?'" Ha! I wouldn't be surprised if Pascal Garnier injected a measure of his own writing experience into that of the tale's narrator/writer. And, yes, Eskimo is written in the first-person, placing us squarely in the mind of our writer, a gent I'll call Jules.
Any reader of Pascal Garnier will know all his crime novels are singular and unpredictable, the exact opposite of following a set formula (or, as Jules puts it, "a story I already know of by heart"). I can picture Pascal at his keyboard, keeping one step ahead of his readers, making sure even he as author is surprised at his characters acting in ways unforeseen or highly erratic.
The Reality of Old Age - "He kills people's parents the way Eskimos leave their elders on a patch of ice because . . . it's natural, ecologically sound, a lot more humane and far more economical then endlessly prolonging their suffering in a dismal nursing home." So Jules informs his editor about Louis, the main character in the book he's writing.
Interlaced throughout the novel are reflections by both Jules and Louis on what it means to grow old and die. At one point while visiting the room of a dying man, Jules muses "death is yellow, and smells of vanilla." A few moments later, Jules takes a closer look at the sickly oldster. "His mouth sends out a few bubbles of soapy washing-up water and his chicken-skin hands quiver before resting flat against the sheets."
Without doubt, among the most critical issues of our modern world: How much medical intervention should be devoted to keeping the elderly quivering their chicken-skin hands as they lie in bed struggling for breath?
Literary Lazybones - "I've been able to rent a cottage by the sea from a painter friend of mine, where I've spent the past two months yawning so hard I've almost dislocated my jaw." We're given various glimpses into the everyday cadence of Jules the creative literary artist, even when Jules is being anything but productive. "I love napping on the beach, sheltered from the wind, leaning back against the jetty, my feet buried in the sand, hands in my jacket pockets, face to the sun. Slow explosions of red, green and yellow behind my eyelids."
Hang easy, dangle loose, Jules. Society might call you a slugabed or deadbeat but many artsy types appreciate a time of do-nothing can reinvigorate one's creative juices.
Snags and More Snags - "I could have written more but Hélène rang. Wants to take me on a three-day trip to England." Joyce Carol Oats never tires of saying a writer's biggest challenge is being interrupted by other people. Certainly Jules must deal with a slug of interruptions - his neighbors, his girlfriend's daughter, his lifetime friend. And please keep in mind we're talking Pascal Garnier crime noir here, meaning not everybody gets out alive.
Oh, No! - "Our best hope is for an epidemic to wipe out the old people this winter." Both Jules and Louis can clearly see one of the unsettling patterns of modern society: old people tend to have more money then they can possibly spend while the people who could really use the money - the young - must struggle. Of course, that reference to an epidemic is more than a tad unnerving here in Spring 2020.
Again, I've focused on several key themes. I'll leave the crime and the noir elements to each reader.
Jules encounters yet again another obstacle to his writing. "I won't trust modern technology until it's 100 per cent reliable, which is yet to be the case. My typewriter has packed up - it's gone mad, thrown the tabulation all over the place, messed up the line spacing, basically added to the general disarray. I have to try to remind myself that machines are supposed to be at the service of men, though cracking the whip isn't likely to fix a typewriter. I don't get on well with machines. I don't know why - it's a curse."
French novelist Pascal Garnier, 1949-2010
March 31, 2022
Life imitates art in Garnier's existential noir masterpiece.
A children's writer rents a house on the Normandy coast to avoid distraction while writing his new crime novel. After murdering his mother, the protagonist comes to the aid of cash-strapped friends by butchering their parents for inheritance. Yet reality and fiction blur as events overlap with those of his imagination.
Gallic Books have now translated twelve of Garnier's into English, each one possessing hints of the master Georges Simenon and nods to Albert Camus. A genius of a writer: ghastly and astute, shocking and incisive.
A children's writer rents a house on the Normandy coast to avoid distraction while writing his new crime novel. After murdering his mother, the protagonist comes to the aid of cash-strapped friends by butchering their parents for inheritance. Yet reality and fiction blur as events overlap with those of his imagination.
Gallic Books have now translated twelve of Garnier's into English, each one possessing hints of the master Georges Simenon and nods to Albert Camus. A genius of a writer: ghastly and astute, shocking and incisive.
Read
February 7, 2017[3.5]
ARC review
Pascal Garnier's surburban noir was almost as moreish here as in Moon in a Dead Eye, even though I found more to dislike in The Eskimo Solution.
This book uses the novel-within-a-novel device (with slippery possible correspondences between "book" and "author"), a conceit which is nothing special now. But perhaps when this was written, 27 years ago, it may not have seemed hackneyed, especially in crime writing somewhere fuzzily between literary and genre. Most of all, I found it hard to believe that the author-within-the-novel was a children's author, embarking on his first go at writing a thriller for adults: he had none of the sense of playfulness, humour or childlikeness that ever kids' writer I've ever heard speak possesses on one level or another. It was impossible to imagine this guy writing for children. I ended up ignoring that feature of the character, as the story still raced along at a fair old clip.
Why, though, was the nested book worse-written than the author-within-the-book's first person thoughts? Third person, you could understand it.
Thoughts:
...a cathedral and the Gros Horloge – if it wasn’t for them, we could be in any European city: same town centre with the same pedestrianised streets, same little cobblestones laid like fish scales, same tubs filled with anaemic privet, same branches of Chevignon, same jeans shops, same croissant stands, same guitar strummers, same accordion players, same red-nosed clowns following you and mimicking your movements. Nowheresville.
"Novel":
There were the same pedestrianised streets in the centre, the same fashions, the same exasperating music everywhere – the same everything everywhere. Except that Marion, like all tourists, did not want to be taken for a tourist...
The character of manipulative teenage seductress Nathalie unfortunately ends up on the page as a sordid porny French sterotype, and had me checking the publication date to make sure it was 1990 and not 1970. This type of character was so much better in François Ozon's sultry film Swimming Pool and indeed everywhere else I've noticed it, right back to one of the originals, Cécile in Bonjour Tristesse.
On the plus side, while The Eskimo Solution looked, at times, like it might descend into paint-by-numbers unreliable narration, it never actually did. Kudos to Garnier for playing around with that, and to the translators for not imposing the all-too-familiar claustrophobic tone bestowed on not-very-nice narrators. I know the following is a bit too close to dismissing a book for lacking "likeable characters" but I do prefer these types in a third person narrative rather than listening to their disdainful insinuation right in my ear, in first; that was another reason why I preferred Moon in a Dead Eye, along with its emphatically ordinary characters from non-arty walks of life... any novel about a writer or artist has to be extra good to justify itself as far as I'm concerned.
Much like a film I saw the other week (Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself - considerably less depressing than its title suggests) most of what I find myself saying about The Eskimo Solution is critical, yet there's an overall atmosphere, mood or style that mysteriously redeems each work and makes it fairly enjoyable despite all the details I found to grouse about. There is something compulsive about these little Pascal Garnier thrillers, and there's no doubt the writing, sentence by sentence, is a cut above the average genre procedural.
A shame that the publisher have changed the cover designs for the most recent Garnier books - the previous set reminded me of Terry's Neapolitans, which seemed appropriate for these small books that may be devoured in one go.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Gallic Books, for this free advance review copy.
ARC review
Pascal Garnier's surburban noir was almost as moreish here as in Moon in a Dead Eye, even though I found more to dislike in The Eskimo Solution.
This book uses the novel-within-a-novel device (with slippery possible correspondences between "book" and "author"), a conceit which is nothing special now. But perhaps when this was written, 27 years ago, it may not have seemed hackneyed, especially in crime writing somewhere fuzzily between literary and genre. Most of all, I found it hard to believe that the author-within-the-novel was a children's author, embarking on his first go at writing a thriller for adults: he had none of the sense of playfulness, humour or childlikeness that ever kids' writer I've ever heard speak possesses on one level or another. It was impossible to imagine this guy writing for children. I ended up ignoring that feature of the character, as the story still raced along at a fair old clip.
Why, though, was the nested book worse-written than the author-within-the-book's first person thoughts? Third person, you could understand it.
Thoughts:
...a cathedral and the Gros Horloge – if it wasn’t for them, we could be in any European city: same town centre with the same pedestrianised streets, same little cobblestones laid like fish scales, same tubs filled with anaemic privet, same branches of Chevignon, same jeans shops, same croissant stands, same guitar strummers, same accordion players, same red-nosed clowns following you and mimicking your movements. Nowheresville.
"Novel":
There were the same pedestrianised streets in the centre, the same fashions, the same exasperating music everywhere – the same everything everywhere. Except that Marion, like all tourists, did not want to be taken for a tourist...
The character of manipulative teenage seductress Nathalie unfortunately ends up on the page as a sordid porny French sterotype, and had me checking the publication date to make sure it was 1990 and not 1970. This type of character was so much better in François Ozon's sultry film Swimming Pool and indeed everywhere else I've noticed it, right back to one of the originals, Cécile in Bonjour Tristesse.
On the plus side, while The Eskimo Solution looked, at times, like it might descend into paint-by-numbers unreliable narration, it never actually did. Kudos to Garnier for playing around with that, and to the translators for not imposing the all-too-familiar claustrophobic tone bestowed on not-very-nice narrators. I know the following is a bit too close to dismissing a book for lacking "likeable characters" but I do prefer these types in a third person narrative rather than listening to their disdainful insinuation right in my ear, in first; that was another reason why I preferred Moon in a Dead Eye, along with its emphatically ordinary characters from non-arty walks of life... any novel about a writer or artist has to be extra good to justify itself as far as I'm concerned.
Much like a film I saw the other week (Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself - considerably less depressing than its title suggests) most of what I find myself saying about The Eskimo Solution is critical, yet there's an overall atmosphere, mood or style that mysteriously redeems each work and makes it fairly enjoyable despite all the details I found to grouse about. There is something compulsive about these little Pascal Garnier thrillers, and there's no doubt the writing, sentence by sentence, is a cut above the average genre procedural.
A shame that the publisher have changed the cover designs for the most recent Garnier books - the previous set reminded me of Terry's Neapolitans, which seemed appropriate for these small books that may be devoured in one go.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Gallic Books, for this free advance review copy.
September 12, 2016
For a long time this book had me thoroughly confused, there were even times when I found excuses not to pick it up. But eventually after about 25% into the book I found I did not want to put it down!
A strange book about a man called Louis who writes a book about a man called Louis - confused? Well you should be! The first man called Louis even had a next door neighbor called Louis! Louis the author writes a book about Louis the serial killer, so really The Eskimo Effect is a book within a book.
It is dark, very very dark, and it is bleak. But it is also amusing, in a way that almost leaves you feeling guilty for being amused, I mean the man is a serial killer - what can possibly be amusing about that? And yet there are moments where you may not be laughing out loud, but moments where you find yourself smiling out loud.
Perhaps the saddest thing for me after reading this book was to realize that Pascal Garnier is no longer with us. This talented authors premature death in 2010 at the age of 60 years is a real loss, to his family, to France and to all of us who like a good story told well. The most fitting tribute I can pay Pascal Garnier is to read his back list of titles, and that is exactly what I intend to do.
Thank you to Netgalley, and Gallic Books for my free e-ARC of this book in return for an honest review. The Eskimo Solution by Pascal Garnier is published today 12th September 2016.
A strange book about a man called Louis who writes a book about a man called Louis - confused? Well you should be! The first man called Louis even had a next door neighbor called Louis! Louis the author writes a book about Louis the serial killer, so really The Eskimo Effect is a book within a book.
It is dark, very very dark, and it is bleak. But it is also amusing, in a way that almost leaves you feeling guilty for being amused, I mean the man is a serial killer - what can possibly be amusing about that? And yet there are moments where you may not be laughing out loud, but moments where you find yourself smiling out loud.
Perhaps the saddest thing for me after reading this book was to realize that Pascal Garnier is no longer with us. This talented authors premature death in 2010 at the age of 60 years is a real loss, to his family, to France and to all of us who like a good story told well. The most fitting tribute I can pay Pascal Garnier is to read his back list of titles, and that is exactly what I intend to do.
Thank you to Netgalley, and Gallic Books for my free e-ARC of this book in return for an honest review. The Eskimo Solution by Pascal Garnier is published today 12th September 2016.
July 21, 2016
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gallic Books has been publishing English translations of Pascal Garnier’s very fine French noir short novels and this is cause for celebration for those who enjoy finely crafted crime stories. A year ago I had never heard to Mr. Garnier but now he is one of my all time favorite crime novelists. I would most liken him to James M. Cain but with a cutting dark humor that is all his own. Seldom are the police involved. These stories are more about crime and the usually ordinary people who commit them. And why they commit them. And the effect that it has on them.
The "eskimo solution" refers to the alleged practice among eskimos of providing a humane exit for their elderly when they have outlived their usefulness. To the narrator of this novel, what he finds particularly annoying about these elderly folks is that they are often sitting on a large supply of cash which he believes could be put to much better use by their children. The nerve of these folks! Our narrator is also an author, which is interesting from the whole “unreliable narrator” angle because almost immediately we begin to wonder if the writer of children’s books, who is suddenly writing a very graphic murder tale, has slipped off into some schizophrenic double existence where reality and fiction are more or less interchangeable.
To make this line even more blurred, both the narrator, who is both our narrator and of course the narrator of the novel that he is writing, shares the name Louis (which he very humorously debates with himself as to whether this is a suitable name or not) with the homicidal character in his novel. When the murder of old folks spills over from fiction into reality things get even more interesting. Or was there ever a separate reality— or was it all real? It is actually less confusing than it sounds, and a lot more fun. I think you could read this novel several times and come to different conclusions each time.
My feeling is that fiction here is a test run or dress rehearsal for a potential reality, but I am sure that there are many possible interpretations. In any case, Pascal Garnier was a brilliant crime writer who will be sorely missed.
Gallic Books has been publishing English translations of Pascal Garnier’s very fine French noir short novels and this is cause for celebration for those who enjoy finely crafted crime stories. A year ago I had never heard to Mr. Garnier but now he is one of my all time favorite crime novelists. I would most liken him to James M. Cain but with a cutting dark humor that is all his own. Seldom are the police involved. These stories are more about crime and the usually ordinary people who commit them. And why they commit them. And the effect that it has on them.
The "eskimo solution" refers to the alleged practice among eskimos of providing a humane exit for their elderly when they have outlived their usefulness. To the narrator of this novel, what he finds particularly annoying about these elderly folks is that they are often sitting on a large supply of cash which he believes could be put to much better use by their children. The nerve of these folks! Our narrator is also an author, which is interesting from the whole “unreliable narrator” angle because almost immediately we begin to wonder if the writer of children’s books, who is suddenly writing a very graphic murder tale, has slipped off into some schizophrenic double existence where reality and fiction are more or less interchangeable.
To make this line even more blurred, both the narrator, who is both our narrator and of course the narrator of the novel that he is writing, shares the name Louis (which he very humorously debates with himself as to whether this is a suitable name or not) with the homicidal character in his novel. When the murder of old folks spills over from fiction into reality things get even more interesting. Or was there ever a separate reality— or was it all real? It is actually less confusing than it sounds, and a lot more fun. I think you could read this novel several times and come to different conclusions each time.
My feeling is that fiction here is a test run or dress rehearsal for a potential reality, but I am sure that there are many possible interpretations. In any case, Pascal Garnier was a brilliant crime writer who will be sorely missed.
December 22, 2016
I think that Pascal Garnier tried in this book to do something a bit different to his normal work. However, I am not quite sure it worked.
What Garnier does best is noir: darkly comic crime novels often with random and extreme acts of violence but always with some comedy (definitely black). In this book, he seems to try to do something more fancy.
What we have here is actually two short stories with one being written by the protagonist of the other who is an author. So, it’s a book within a book where we get to read the story created by Pascal Garnier and the story created by the author who is the main character in the story created by Garnier. Given that the main character in the story within the story is called Louis and so is the neighbour in the basic "outer" story, I think there’s an attempt to create confusion and, perhaps, make a point about the blurring of boundaries between fiction and reality.
But it isn’t actually all that confusing. For a start, the two different parts of the book are set out in different fonts. Then one is written in the first person and the other in the third person. This means that it is actually quite hard to get confused about the two stories. Which is a shame because I think that might be one of the main points of the book!
There’s still a lot of the trademark black humour and there is a reasonably high body count, which is what we expect in a Garnier novel. I just don’t think this is his best work, and that is perhaps because he tried to be clever instead of doing what he does (did) best. Overall, I’m disappointed by this short novella, but not so disappointed that I won’t read more of Garnier’s work: the other books I have read still tell me that it is worth reading more.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because it's Christmas and I'm feeling generous.
What Garnier does best is noir: darkly comic crime novels often with random and extreme acts of violence but always with some comedy (definitely black). In this book, he seems to try to do something more fancy.
What we have here is actually two short stories with one being written by the protagonist of the other who is an author. So, it’s a book within a book where we get to read the story created by Pascal Garnier and the story created by the author who is the main character in the story created by Garnier. Given that the main character in the story within the story is called Louis and so is the neighbour in the basic "outer" story, I think there’s an attempt to create confusion and, perhaps, make a point about the blurring of boundaries between fiction and reality.
But it isn’t actually all that confusing. For a start, the two different parts of the book are set out in different fonts. Then one is written in the first person and the other in the third person. This means that it is actually quite hard to get confused about the two stories. Which is a shame because I think that might be one of the main points of the book!
There’s still a lot of the trademark black humour and there is a reasonably high body count, which is what we expect in a Garnier novel. I just don’t think this is his best work, and that is perhaps because he tried to be clever instead of doing what he does (did) best. Overall, I’m disappointed by this short novella, but not so disappointed that I won’t read more of Garnier’s work: the other books I have read still tell me that it is worth reading more.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because it's Christmas and I'm feeling generous.
April 8, 2017
I've read everything that's been translated by Garnier and I'm a big fan. There was a question recently in the Guardian Books Forum that asked do you like everything written by your favourite authors? Until this I would have quoted Garnier. I don't think this is nearly as strong as his earlier translated work. I would say he is a master of the French noir. Noir is so country specific also, unlike other genres. The US stuff stands out, as does the English, and even the Scottish has its identity. The French perhaps most of all, with the grand father, Simenon, then Manchette, Dard and of course Garnier.
It's about a crime writer as he writes his latest novel. At a whim he kills off his cast, to an increasing degree, but this is affecting his own life. It's difficult to identify exactly what doesn't work so well here, I think the element of dark humour is less, and the simplicity of his earlier work. The choice of title is clever and very fitting.
It's about a crime writer as he writes his latest novel. At a whim he kills off his cast, to an increasing degree, but this is affecting his own life. It's difficult to identify exactly what doesn't work so well here, I think the element of dark humour is less, and the simplicity of his earlier work. The choice of title is clever and very fitting.
November 27, 2016
Regular readers of my blog know all too well my deep affection for the work of the late lamented Pascal Garnier, so it will come as no surprise that this is another winner. Cleverly, and in the space of only 159 pages, Garnier weaves together the story in real time, and the book that is being written by the crime writer, constantly shifting your attention between the two. I liked the fictional tale incorporated within the other fictional tale, if you get my drift, and was almost tempted to write another review of that one too. In his trademark style, both stories deal with sex, death, greed, passion, and murder, and dig down to the nastiest aspects of the human psyche, with black humour and mordant wit. Genius.
September 7, 2020
Another interesting book by Pascal Garnier, with all of the intrigue and twists that you expect.
A relatively short book, but enjoyable.
A relatively short book, but enjoyable.
July 19, 2018
Louis is writing his novel in an isolated beach house. His main character is also Louis, and both are consumed by the Eskimo Effect, whereby elders, who are of no further use to the community, are cast afloat on an ice floe.
As time goes on, the lives of Louis and Louis become more and more entwined.
If there was a specific focus in this novella, I missed it, but the bleak humour and horror and the acute observation make it a worthwhile experience.
As time goes on, the lives of Louis and Louis become more and more entwined.
If there was a specific focus in this novella, I missed it, but the bleak humour and horror and the acute observation make it a worthwhile experience.
October 1, 2021
What is the Eskimo solution? Let the book's narrator explain it:
The unnamed narrator keeps writing about his character Louis who is actively precipitating the :accidental" death of seniors, though at times it is unclear whether it is the narrator or Louis we are seeing in action.
I am in the process of reading all of Garnier's novellas, which are generally excellent -- easily the equal of their American counterparts David Goodis, Charles Willeford, Jim Thompson, and Elliott Chaze.
No, the Eskimos are damn well not silly! After all, aren't they the ones who've found the best solution for getting their elderly off their hands? Sit them on a chunk of ice, give it a kick and off they go -- bon voyage!So Pascal Garnier's excellent The Eskimo Solution is all for getting rid of wealthy, overfed elders so that the impoverished next generation should get their chance.
The unnamed narrator keeps writing about his character Louis who is actively precipitating the :accidental" death of seniors, though at times it is unclear whether it is the narrator or Louis we are seeing in action.
I am in the process of reading all of Garnier's novellas, which are generally excellent -- easily the equal of their American counterparts David Goodis, Charles Willeford, Jim Thompson, and Elliott Chaze.
July 7, 2016
I would like to thank Netgalley and Gallic Books for an advance copy of The Eskimo Solution, another surreal Gallic tale of psychopathy.
The narrator of the novel is simply I, no name given, and he intersperses the story of an eventful few days of his life in a borrowed cottage in Normandy with the third person narrative of his new novel about Louis, a psychopath who sees himself as bringing joy into the life of his friends by killing their parents without their knowledge and letting them fulfill their dreams with their inheritance. He even gets annoyed when they don't seem overjoyed at their good luck!
Initially I found the novel quite confusing as I was dipping in and out whenever I had a minute and was never sure if it was the narrator or Louis I was reading about but I soon settled into the novel's rhythm and I just loved it.
Whether it is the translation or Mr Garnier's prose The Eskimo Solution is an extremely inviting novel. Both the narrator and Louis are not frightened to share their thoughts and that draws you in and hooks you on the intimacy of it all. It is also an extremely funny novel as both characters have no sense of humour and are completely self absorbed so they don't see either the humour or irony in their comments.
I would love to say more about the plot which is clever and ironic but no spoilers so you'll just have to read it for yourself. You won't be disappointed as I heartily recommend The Eskimo Solution to anyone looking for something a bit different.
The narrator of the novel is simply I, no name given, and he intersperses the story of an eventful few days of his life in a borrowed cottage in Normandy with the third person narrative of his new novel about Louis, a psychopath who sees himself as bringing joy into the life of his friends by killing their parents without their knowledge and letting them fulfill their dreams with their inheritance. He even gets annoyed when they don't seem overjoyed at their good luck!
Initially I found the novel quite confusing as I was dipping in and out whenever I had a minute and was never sure if it was the narrator or Louis I was reading about but I soon settled into the novel's rhythm and I just loved it.
Whether it is the translation or Mr Garnier's prose The Eskimo Solution is an extremely inviting novel. Both the narrator and Louis are not frightened to share their thoughts and that draws you in and hooks you on the intimacy of it all. It is also an extremely funny novel as both characters have no sense of humour and are completely self absorbed so they don't see either the humour or irony in their comments.
I would love to say more about the plot which is clever and ironic but no spoilers so you'll just have to read it for yourself. You won't be disappointed as I heartily recommend The Eskimo Solution to anyone looking for something a bit different.
July 17, 2016
An author called Louis writes a book about a serial killer named Louis, while holed up in a friend's house on the coast of France next door to an old man called Louis. Confused?! You may well be!
It did take me a while to get my head around which Louis was which, however once you can pick out the Parisian vs the Normandy references then you should be OK. All the characters in the novel are pretty morally challenged - from the fictional serial killer, wiping out the elderly relatives of his friends so they can inherit their wealth before they become a penniless burden, to the author himself, who thinks nothing of sleeping with his girlfriend's sixteen year old daughter, to his best friend, Christophe, who throws his mother in law out a window following the death of his wife. At no point in the stories are the police involved or any kind of questions asked.
That said, as with all of Garnier's works that I've read so far, there are still richly drawn characters and intriguing plot lines that keep you hooked. It just felt that this one strayed too far from anything resembling reality to be believable.
It did take me a while to get my head around which Louis was which, however once you can pick out the Parisian vs the Normandy references then you should be OK. All the characters in the novel are pretty morally challenged - from the fictional serial killer, wiping out the elderly relatives of his friends so they can inherit their wealth before they become a penniless burden, to the author himself, who thinks nothing of sleeping with his girlfriend's sixteen year old daughter, to his best friend, Christophe, who throws his mother in law out a window following the death of his wife. At no point in the stories are the police involved or any kind of questions asked.
That said, as with all of Garnier's works that I've read so far, there are still richly drawn characters and intriguing plot lines that keep you hooked. It just felt that this one strayed too far from anything resembling reality to be believable.
September 12, 2016
I had a hard time getting into this story. Twice I started over from the beginning. The second time I was able to read the entire book. Having two characters named Louis added to my confusion! I wanted to like this book but it was just an strange story.
* I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGally to read and write my honest review.
* I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGally to read and write my honest review.
February 23, 2024
On the way to a restaurant this evening I went into a little independent book shop. It had a closing down sale and tomorrow is its last day. The shelves were sparsely covered in unusual books - most of which were translations and many of which were written originally in French.
Having read Low Heights by Pascal Garnier I was intrigued to find a whole display dedicated to him . He was prolific. At 70 percent off I was seduced into trying some of his other titles and chose 4 (2 I liked the look of and 2 recommended by the bookseller who was a big fan).
After dinner I ‘cracked open’ this one and read it on my commute home. What a treat. It is unusual and engaging, the characters are full and quirky and the switching between stories (the one of the protagonist (an author) and the one of the protagonist in the protagonist’s book) kept me on my toes.
It contains some dark themes and there is a fair share of murder - in both stories - but it isn’t heavy. A man has escaped to a seaside town in France to write his book about a murderer who kills his own mother and then the parents of friends to help their children take early receipt of their inheritance - without their consent incidentally. While his life does not mirror that of his character, similarities start to emerge and the author is caught up in his own deceits around a liaison with his girlfriend’s daughter and complicity in a friend’s crime.
This is the kind of book you could start and finish in a couple of hours and feel completely satisfied . Interestingly it is also one of the ones I chose without recommendation so I am feeling quite smug. I am hoping the other 3 of his I bought are equally as entertaining.
Having read Low Heights by Pascal Garnier I was intrigued to find a whole display dedicated to him . He was prolific. At 70 percent off I was seduced into trying some of his other titles and chose 4 (2 I liked the look of and 2 recommended by the bookseller who was a big fan).
After dinner I ‘cracked open’ this one and read it on my commute home. What a treat. It is unusual and engaging, the characters are full and quirky and the switching between stories (the one of the protagonist (an author) and the one of the protagonist in the protagonist’s book) kept me on my toes.
It contains some dark themes and there is a fair share of murder - in both stories - but it isn’t heavy. A man has escaped to a seaside town in France to write his book about a murderer who kills his own mother and then the parents of friends to help their children take early receipt of their inheritance - without their consent incidentally. While his life does not mirror that of his character, similarities start to emerge and the author is caught up in his own deceits around a liaison with his girlfriend’s daughter and complicity in a friend’s crime.
This is the kind of book you could start and finish in a couple of hours and feel completely satisfied . Interestingly it is also one of the ones I chose without recommendation so I am feeling quite smug. I am hoping the other 3 of his I bought are equally as entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2018
Louis is an aimless forty-something writer who retreats with his typewriter (remember those?!) to a cottage by the beach in Normandy to write a novel about a man also called Louis:
It's the story of a man in his forties called Louis, who's a nice guy but skint, and kills his mother for the inheritance...Since everything goes to plan, no trouble with the law or anything, he starts killing the parents of friends in need. Of course, he doesn't tell them what he's doing - it's his little secret, pure charity...He kills people's parents the way Eskimos leave their elders on a patch of ice because...it's natural, ecologically sound, a lot more humane and far more economical than endlessly prolonging their suffering in a dismal nursing home.
A dark and twisted story with alternating narrative strands that over the course of the novella seem to come together, so fiction blends into reality...or does it? Is it all just taking place in writer Louis' head or does he begin to begin to over-identify with his cool serial killer creation? I suppose this blurring of lines between fact and fiction is the main point of the novella, a meta-fictional commentary of topical interest in this age of 'fake news' and 'alternative facts'. Also with contemporary relevance is the idea of inter-generational conflict, greedy retired parents enjoying accumulated wealth Louis believes would be better in the hands of their struggling children.
A quick and thought-provoking read, with some unpleasant aspects- ageism, an inappropriate relationship, that UnPC title. Most of all, to be honest, I relished the beautifully realised Normandy setting, done so well you can taste the damp, salty air!
It's the story of a man in his forties called Louis, who's a nice guy but skint, and kills his mother for the inheritance...Since everything goes to plan, no trouble with the law or anything, he starts killing the parents of friends in need. Of course, he doesn't tell them what he's doing - it's his little secret, pure charity...He kills people's parents the way Eskimos leave their elders on a patch of ice because...it's natural, ecologically sound, a lot more humane and far more economical than endlessly prolonging their suffering in a dismal nursing home.
A dark and twisted story with alternating narrative strands that over the course of the novella seem to come together, so fiction blends into reality...or does it? Is it all just taking place in writer Louis' head or does he begin to begin to over-identify with his cool serial killer creation? I suppose this blurring of lines between fact and fiction is the main point of the novella, a meta-fictional commentary of topical interest in this age of 'fake news' and 'alternative facts'. Also with contemporary relevance is the idea of inter-generational conflict, greedy retired parents enjoying accumulated wealth Louis believes would be better in the hands of their struggling children.
A quick and thought-provoking read, with some unpleasant aspects- ageism, an inappropriate relationship, that UnPC title. Most of all, to be honest, I relished the beautifully realised Normandy setting, done so well you can taste the damp, salty air!
August 11, 2020
The Eskimo solution is supposedly to let their elders float away on an ice flow when they become too old to be useful. In this book, a French children’s book writer decides to write a twisted novel about a man who murders old people so that first he—and then his friends—can improve their lives through inheritance.
The writer’s own story is interspersed with the increasingly dark and graphic story he is writing. He commits his own indiscretions and tells his own lies, none of which come close to his murderous protagonist, and he envies a friend who is capable of murder, while the friend is tormented by the same.
Tonally, the existentially suffering writer wandering the beach town is reminiscent of Camus, and his logical yet sociopathic protagonist is somewhere between the bungling criminals of an Ealing comedy and the brutal gross-out killers of a Tarantino film.
There is just the slightest hint of a suggestion that the writer character may have more in common with his protagonist than we know.
The writer’s own story is interspersed with the increasingly dark and graphic story he is writing. He commits his own indiscretions and tells his own lies, none of which come close to his murderous protagonist, and he envies a friend who is capable of murder, while the friend is tormented by the same.
Tonally, the existentially suffering writer wandering the beach town is reminiscent of Camus, and his logical yet sociopathic protagonist is somewhere between the bungling criminals of an Ealing comedy and the brutal gross-out killers of a Tarantino film.
There is just the slightest hint of a suggestion that the writer character may have more in common with his protagonist than we know.
February 14, 2020
This little book is a very quick read. It has two story lines: a French author attempting to avoid writing the second story line, namely a book in which the protagonist kills people in order to make life easier for the people who inherit from them. The "Eskimo" solution refers to the idea that the elderly in northern indigenous cultures would place themselves on ice floes to die rather than eat the scarce food needed for the young and healthy. Whether myth or fact, this is the basis of the protagonist's rationalization of murder of the elderly so that the younger generation can live more carefree lives. Unfortunately, fiction intrudes on real life.... I wondered at times if this book was all a big joke on the part of Pascal Garnier or a serious look at the avarice of the young and a total disregard for the quality of a life. Three paws up from Abby Tabby and Kristi
August 15, 2021
Very underwhelming. I found both the story and the story in the story weak.
May 30, 2022
Passable. Didn’t have the doomed momentum of A Long Way Off which, to me, was as good as French noir gets. That is to say, a fucked-up melange of grim nihilism and remorseless violence.
This one, though, was just about okay. Happy to try more.
This one, though, was just about okay. Happy to try more.
April 21, 2024
probably a 3.5, which belies how enjoyable it is. a metafictional story within a story where real events start to mimic the plot of the book Jules is working on. in turn, the real-life dialogue the author has is put into the book! very clever, apparently noir but I don't really see it. main themes are about the nature of the dying and elderly, and what to do with them, pertinent to our modern age
February 27, 2017
review to come
September 1, 2016
This is my third Pascal Garnier experience and I cannot quite believe how unique they all are! These short 'life parodies' pluck the dark trains of thought that run through the mind of ordinary folk to create a bizarrely addictive and screwball read.
Firstly, why the title? Well, as loosely described in the book, The Eskimo Solution is a way of disposing of elderly relatives by leaving them out on the ice to expire before they become a burden on their families. An effective, if somewhat, mercenary way of solving a problem I grant you, but this is the basis for the tale.
The anonymous narrator of this story has created a character in a crime novel he's writing who bumps off people's relatives and allow them to inherit early, rather than allow nature to take its course. As things progress you begin to wonder where Louis, the fictional serial killer, ends and the narrator begins. The traits of the unnamed author and his creation's traits start to resemble each other so closely that is difficult to separate them at times.
They both have trouble with their relationships, each have creative outlets, and are struggling to tell people what they really think causing them to react in unexpected ways. Only one doesn't resort to severe criminal activity to clear the air, although I strongly suspect that given the right set of circumstances he wouldn't take much persuading.
Everyday absurdities allow the writer's sharp wit and some cracking one liners to shine, as once again he projects his keen observation of situations onto the page. They often they incorporate maiming, murder, and something that's gone very, very wrong with someone's personality. These warped versions of ordinary life are so fresh and intriguing that they appear almost freestyle, like there was little planning at all - and I mean that in a good way!
While the circumstances of these thoroughly individual books appear run-of-the-mill on the surface, there's always something disconcerting waiting to break through. The writing spins the mundane around so it points in an unsuspecting direction entirely.
I'm never quite sure where the next Pascal Garnier experience is going to take me and for this 'surprise element' I'd be more than happy to read another one tomorrow.
(I received an invitation to provide an unbiased review for this title from the publisher via NetGalley, and I was delighted to oblige. My thanks sincere to them.)
Firstly, why the title? Well, as loosely described in the book, The Eskimo Solution is a way of disposing of elderly relatives by leaving them out on the ice to expire before they become a burden on their families. An effective, if somewhat, mercenary way of solving a problem I grant you, but this is the basis for the tale.
The anonymous narrator of this story has created a character in a crime novel he's writing who bumps off people's relatives and allow them to inherit early, rather than allow nature to take its course. As things progress you begin to wonder where Louis, the fictional serial killer, ends and the narrator begins. The traits of the unnamed author and his creation's traits start to resemble each other so closely that is difficult to separate them at times.
They both have trouble with their relationships, each have creative outlets, and are struggling to tell people what they really think causing them to react in unexpected ways. Only one doesn't resort to severe criminal activity to clear the air, although I strongly suspect that given the right set of circumstances he wouldn't take much persuading.
Everyday absurdities allow the writer's sharp wit and some cracking one liners to shine, as once again he projects his keen observation of situations onto the page. They often they incorporate maiming, murder, and something that's gone very, very wrong with someone's personality. These warped versions of ordinary life are so fresh and intriguing that they appear almost freestyle, like there was little planning at all - and I mean that in a good way!
While the circumstances of these thoroughly individual books appear run-of-the-mill on the surface, there's always something disconcerting waiting to break through. The writing spins the mundane around so it points in an unsuspecting direction entirely.
I'm never quite sure where the next Pascal Garnier experience is going to take me and for this 'surprise element' I'd be more than happy to read another one tomorrow.
(I received an invitation to provide an unbiased review for this title from the publisher via NetGalley, and I was delighted to oblige. My thanks sincere to them.)
September 8, 2016
I am not sure what drew me to this book, maybe the fact that I have read quite a few books translated from German and wanted to try a French author instead. I recall reading Simenon's Maigret books when I was a young adult and enjoyed those and the blurb here says that Garnier is a similar style to Simenon so, I thought I'd give this a go.
Firstly, I have to say that I found the translation to be excellent. In fact, to me, the book read as if it was actually written in English from scratch. The meaning of the words was paraphrased rather than directly translated which meant, for me anyway, the whole book read smoothly.
The store we have here is really a book within a book with the lines between them slowly blurring as the story progresses. We follow Louis as he hides himself away by the sea to write his book about Louis who, after having killed his own mother, branches out to relieving others of burdensome ageing relatives (whether they want it or not). And then we have Louis, the old guy who lives next door to real Louis. You'd think that there'd be too many Louis in the book, but the old and young are easily differentiated and the chapters from the real and character Louis are written in different font so they are easy too.
The whole premise of the book I think is that art overspills to life as morals become looser. I didn't really like real Louis at all as I found him to have extremely questionable morals at times. On the other hand, he was also good to his neighbours (to a point) but even then, well... you'll see if you read the book. It's hard to say much more about the story or feeling invoked whilst reading as I fear it will turn out to include spoilers, but suffice to say, I did go through quite a few whilst reading. It was funny and serious all at the same time, but that worked really well. I was also disgusted, charmed, angry, and totally engrossed in the surreal storyline I became totally immersed in.
All in all, I think this was a good solid read and I am definitely going to check out some of the author's other books.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review
Firstly, I have to say that I found the translation to be excellent. In fact, to me, the book read as if it was actually written in English from scratch. The meaning of the words was paraphrased rather than directly translated which meant, for me anyway, the whole book read smoothly.
The store we have here is really a book within a book with the lines between them slowly blurring as the story progresses. We follow Louis as he hides himself away by the sea to write his book about Louis who, after having killed his own mother, branches out to relieving others of burdensome ageing relatives (whether they want it or not). And then we have Louis, the old guy who lives next door to real Louis. You'd think that there'd be too many Louis in the book, but the old and young are easily differentiated and the chapters from the real and character Louis are written in different font so they are easy too.
The whole premise of the book I think is that art overspills to life as morals become looser. I didn't really like real Louis at all as I found him to have extremely questionable morals at times. On the other hand, he was also good to his neighbours (to a point) but even then, well... you'll see if you read the book. It's hard to say much more about the story or feeling invoked whilst reading as I fear it will turn out to include spoilers, but suffice to say, I did go through quite a few whilst reading. It was funny and serious all at the same time, but that worked really well. I was also disgusted, charmed, angry, and totally engrossed in the surreal storyline I became totally immersed in.
All in all, I think this was a good solid read and I am definitely going to check out some of the author's other books.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review
August 9, 2016
The Eskimo Solution is a clever, humorous novella that is about a novelist called Louis who has holed himself up in Normandy to write a book about a serial killer called Louis. He has ignored his editor’s comments that the book will be distasteful, determined to write what he wants to.
All the way through the reader is reading the author’s account and that of his creation. It is a little confusing at first but very original and at times shocking. The Louis in the novel is a much darker character, when the reader first meets him he is arguing with his wife over whether they should opt for burial or cremation. This was one of the more humorous parts of the novel and definitely encouraged me to read more. When he murders his mother to get his hands on his inheritance he sees it as an opportunity to do the same for friends who he thinks need his assistance. It doesn’t occur to him that he might be causing suffering instead.
Author Louis’s life isn’t as straight forward as he would like, his girlfriend wants him to go to England, her daughter is making life uncomfortable and his closest friend does something that brings the novel closer to home.
It’s a very unusual read, one that I enjoyed but will have to read again to really appreciate it. Like the really good shows on TV it is what happens in the background as well that makes a success. It probably wouldn’t have worked as a full length novel, for me part of its attraction was that it was only 144 pages. I have a few books on my kindle by Pascal Garnier which I am looking forward to reading soon.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received via NetGalley.
All the way through the reader is reading the author’s account and that of his creation. It is a little confusing at first but very original and at times shocking. The Louis in the novel is a much darker character, when the reader first meets him he is arguing with his wife over whether they should opt for burial or cremation. This was one of the more humorous parts of the novel and definitely encouraged me to read more. When he murders his mother to get his hands on his inheritance he sees it as an opportunity to do the same for friends who he thinks need his assistance. It doesn’t occur to him that he might be causing suffering instead.
Author Louis’s life isn’t as straight forward as he would like, his girlfriend wants him to go to England, her daughter is making life uncomfortable and his closest friend does something that brings the novel closer to home.
It’s a very unusual read, one that I enjoyed but will have to read again to really appreciate it. Like the really good shows on TV it is what happens in the background as well that makes a success. It probably wouldn’t have worked as a full length novel, for me part of its attraction was that it was only 144 pages. I have a few books on my kindle by Pascal Garnier which I am looking forward to reading soon.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received via NetGalley.
November 1, 2016
The Eskimo Solution is a story told in two parts. We have a modern day narrator and writer and Louis, his fictional creation. The premise is that Louis is fed up waiting for his inheritance, so decides to kill his mother so he can have the life he believes he deserves. He then wonders whether any of his acquaintances would also benefit from an early gift of money, would the benefit of a solvent life outweigh the sadness of losing a family member.
Steps are taken and the number of murders duly increase and the feeling is that fact and fiction are becoming intertwined too closely and doubts grow about the narrator and Louis's sanity.
When Christophe, a close friend of the narrator, commits murder and then shortly afterwards dies, this marks the beginning of a deeper understanding of the rights and wrongs of previous events and the dawning of a more sober and sensible narrator.
I loved the dark humour of this book and its subversive elements. It asks uncomfortable questions and is also concerned with the modern dilemmas about the older generations. Are they using up too many resources and should they be encouraged to make way for the younger generations? Not exactly in a murderous sense , but with the existence of Dignitas, the emphasis has changed over the years as to what constitutes a good old age and can it be justified in a pure monetary sense.
I am delighted that these novels have been translated and published albeit posthumously, they are ironic and full of gallows humour and are to be throughly recommended to all.
I will post a review on Goodreads later. I don't post on Amazon as my account was hacked last year.
Steps are taken and the number of murders duly increase and the feeling is that fact and fiction are becoming intertwined too closely and doubts grow about the narrator and Louis's sanity.
When Christophe, a close friend of the narrator, commits murder and then shortly afterwards dies, this marks the beginning of a deeper understanding of the rights and wrongs of previous events and the dawning of a more sober and sensible narrator.
I loved the dark humour of this book and its subversive elements. It asks uncomfortable questions and is also concerned with the modern dilemmas about the older generations. Are they using up too many resources and should they be encouraged to make way for the younger generations? Not exactly in a murderous sense , but with the existence of Dignitas, the emphasis has changed over the years as to what constitutes a good old age and can it be justified in a pure monetary sense.
I am delighted that these novels have been translated and published albeit posthumously, they are ironic and full of gallows humour and are to be throughly recommended to all.
I will post a review on Goodreads later. I don't post on Amazon as my account was hacked last year.
August 29, 2016
A novella length story translated from the French. Somewhat surreal, and potentially confusing, but then that's what adds to the intrigue.
I confess I've never read any Simenon and seem to remember not finishing the Camus I tried. This is not a problem if you pick up this novella length story by Pascal Garnier. If you like your stories off-beat you enjoy this. One thing you should guard against, though, is being interrupted in the middle of it, since it's easy to get confused.
One of the difficulties is both the protagonist and the hero of the novel he is writing are called Louis, and although the novel and the actual story are in different fonts (which helps) remembering which is which can be a challenge for those like me with the short-term memory of a woodlouse. However, I don't think it really matters which is 'true' and which is fiction, since both are weird and cross-over with each other. I felt that the fiction was in a more literary style, which was clever, but I may have been reading them the wrong way round at the time. The plots are off-beat, fascinating, and strangely engrossing. It seemed to tail off at the end, and I wasn't really satisfied with the conclusion, but I might read it again, without unscheduled interruptions, and see what I think. And in any case, it's a lovely picture of life in France, with some sea and Impressionist art references thrown in.
If you like your crime stories gentle, mystifying and weird, try this!
I confess I've never read any Simenon and seem to remember not finishing the Camus I tried. This is not a problem if you pick up this novella length story by Pascal Garnier. If you like your stories off-beat you enjoy this. One thing you should guard against, though, is being interrupted in the middle of it, since it's easy to get confused.
One of the difficulties is both the protagonist and the hero of the novel he is writing are called Louis, and although the novel and the actual story are in different fonts (which helps) remembering which is which can be a challenge for those like me with the short-term memory of a woodlouse. However, I don't think it really matters which is 'true' and which is fiction, since both are weird and cross-over with each other. I felt that the fiction was in a more literary style, which was clever, but I may have been reading them the wrong way round at the time. The plots are off-beat, fascinating, and strangely engrossing. It seemed to tail off at the end, and I wasn't really satisfied with the conclusion, but I might read it again, without unscheduled interruptions, and see what I think. And in any case, it's a lovely picture of life in France, with some sea and Impressionist art references thrown in.
If you like your crime stories gentle, mystifying and weird, try this!
August 25, 2016
Before I read this book, I had never heard of the author, Pascal Garnier. I looked him up and read descriptions like: "topics are dark and depressing" "very noir" "typical french negative"
So I settled in for a read that I wasn't expecting to like and knew I could stop and say why?
I read the book in two sittings, one day. I found it delightful, witty, surprising and fun. Where were all the dark and depressing thoughts?
The story is about a writer named Louis who is given an advance on a book, rents a place on the Normandie coast and writes about a man named Louis. Every other chapter is Louis #1's voice and in-between Louis #2s voice. It is easy to tell the difference as each voice has a clear and distinctive type. By the end, the two stories are bumping up against each other and the Louis's are overlapping. It is a romp through murderous silliness and humorous dialogue. I was reminded of the movie "Django Unchained". For example, blood would go upwards two or three feet when logically it should go down. It was cartoonish and one had to laugh.
The publisher, Gallic Books, has translated nine of Garnier's books from the original french. Garnier himself died in 2010 and not able to enjoy what a delight he is to English speaking readers. The translation is very smooth with no oddities that can sometimes be found in bad translations. Kudos to Gallic Books for bringing us Pascal Garnier.
So I settled in for a read that I wasn't expecting to like and knew I could stop and say why?
I read the book in two sittings, one day. I found it delightful, witty, surprising and fun. Where were all the dark and depressing thoughts?
The story is about a writer named Louis who is given an advance on a book, rents a place on the Normandie coast and writes about a man named Louis. Every other chapter is Louis #1's voice and in-between Louis #2s voice. It is easy to tell the difference as each voice has a clear and distinctive type. By the end, the two stories are bumping up against each other and the Louis's are overlapping. It is a romp through murderous silliness and humorous dialogue. I was reminded of the movie "Django Unchained". For example, blood would go upwards two or three feet when logically it should go down. It was cartoonish and one had to laugh.
The publisher, Gallic Books, has translated nine of Garnier's books from the original french. Garnier himself died in 2010 and not able to enjoy what a delight he is to English speaking readers. The translation is very smooth with no oddities that can sometimes be found in bad translations. Kudos to Gallic Books for bringing us Pascal Garnier.
July 7, 2016
This short novel is basically a story within a story. The main character is an author, working on a story about Louis, his main character. In the story, Louis has found a way to help many of his friends by killing off their elderly parents, so that the children or dependents can inherit property or money and live happily ever after. As the overall story develops, so do events in the authors own life. These events start to mirror his fiction and his own life seems to almost overwhelm him.
By the end of the book I got the feeling that the main character was living two different lives, a real one and a fictional, the differences between the two being not that great. It's an interesting tale, which is well observed and cleverly written. It is, however at times a bit confusing as the story switches abruptly between the author's own story and the fictional story. This “blurring” of the lines seems to reinforce the sense that reality and fiction become one and the same.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more of Garnier's work. But for newcomers I would recommend starting with Moon in a Dead Eye where the structure of the story is much more straightforward.
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallic Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com
By the end of the book I got the feeling that the main character was living two different lives, a real one and a fictional, the differences between the two being not that great. It's an interesting tale, which is well observed and cleverly written. It is, however at times a bit confusing as the story switches abruptly between the author's own story and the fictional story. This “blurring” of the lines seems to reinforce the sense that reality and fiction become one and the same.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more of Garnier's work. But for newcomers I would recommend starting with Moon in a Dead Eye where the structure of the story is much more straightforward.
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallic Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews