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Il reste la poussière
Patagonie. Dans la steppe balayée de vents glacés, un tout petit garçon est poursuivi par trois cavaliers. Rattrapé, lancé de l’un à l’autre dans une course folle, il est jeté dans un buisson d’épineux.
Cet enfant, c’est Rafael, et les bourreaux sont ses frères aînés. Leur mère ne dit rien, murée dans un silence hostile depuis cette terrible nuit où leur ivrogne de père l'a frappée une fois de trop. Elle mène ses fils et son élevage d’une main inflexible, écrasant ses garçons de son indifférence. Alors, incroyablement seul, Rafael se réfugie auprès de son cheval et de son chien.
Dans ce monde qui meurt, où les petits élevages sont remplacés par d’immenses domaines, l’espoir semble hors de portée. Et pourtant, un jour, quelque chose va changer. Rafael parviendra-t-il à desserrer l’étau de terreur et de violence qui l’enchaîne à cette famille ?
Avec ce quatrième roman, sombre, planté dans une nature hostile et sublime, Sandrine Collette explore une relation familiale terrible, et la rédemption, possible ou non, d'un enfant qui a gardé son humanité. Depuis Des Nœuds d’acier, Grand Prix de littérature policière, l'auteur « confirme avec éclat qu’elle a tout d’une romancière accomplie. » (François Busnel, L’EXPRESS)
Cet enfant, c’est Rafael, et les bourreaux sont ses frères aînés. Leur mère ne dit rien, murée dans un silence hostile depuis cette terrible nuit où leur ivrogne de père l'a frappée une fois de trop. Elle mène ses fils et son élevage d’une main inflexible, écrasant ses garçons de son indifférence. Alors, incroyablement seul, Rafael se réfugie auprès de son cheval et de son chien.
Dans ce monde qui meurt, où les petits élevages sont remplacés par d’immenses domaines, l’espoir semble hors de portée. Et pourtant, un jour, quelque chose va changer. Rafael parviendra-t-il à desserrer l’étau de terreur et de violence qui l’enchaîne à cette famille ?
Avec ce quatrième roman, sombre, planté dans une nature hostile et sublime, Sandrine Collette explore une relation familiale terrible, et la rédemption, possible ou non, d'un enfant qui a gardé son humanité. Depuis Des Nœuds d’acier, Grand Prix de littérature policière, l'auteur « confirme avec éclat qu’elle a tout d’une romancière accomplie. » (François Busnel, L’EXPRESS)
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2016
12 people are currently reading
319 people want to read
About the author
Sandrine Collette
20 books98 followersSandrine Collette was born in Paris in 1970. She divides her time between Nanterre, where she teaches philosophy and literature, and Burgundy, where she has a horse stud farm. She is the author of numerous novels. Nothing but Dust, winner of the Landerneau Prize for crime fiction, was her English-language debut.
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April 4, 2022
STORIA NATURALE DELLA CRUDELTÀ
In una terra alla fine del mondo, la Patagonia, quella raccontata da Coloane, che appare riferimento luminoso di questo romanzo, così come altrettanto magnifico esempio si dimostra Cormac McCarthy…
… in un’epoca fuori dal tempo (anche se Collette a un certo punto inserisce un riferimento temporale, non una vera e propria data, ma di cui io non sentivo il bisogno), vive una famiglia senza nome: la madre è sempre e solo la madre, capofamiglia dopo aver fisicamente eliminato il padre, il quale, oltre che senza nome, è ormai anche senza corpo, visto quello che del suo ha fatto la donna - e i quattro figli, che un nome ce l’hanno, ma rimangono nella memoria soprattutto in quanto ‘i gemelli’ (Mauro e Joaquin), ‘lo scemo’ (Steban, minore di due anni), e ‘il piccolo’ (Rafael), l’ultimo nato, più che bullizzato dai gemelli direi torturato, seviziato, con una crudeltà e cattiveria senza motivo e senza limiti.
Ho detto, una famiglia che vive in Patagonia, ma la vita alla fine del mondo si presenta essenzialmente come un inferno, non ha nulla di attraente, è mera sopravvivenza, brutalità primordiale, miseria e ignoranza.
E la Patagonia si dimostra terra ostile, dura, inospitale, estrema, spietata, dove anche gli alberi non hanno voglia di mettere radici, brutale regno di figure feroci, selvatiche, tenebrose, abolizione del sentimento, a parte crudeltà, ferocia, odio, rabbia...
E, oltre il sentimento, Collette abolisce anche la psicologia.
A parte quella più direttamente riconducibile alla bestia, animale o umana che sia.
La famiglia sembra consumata da una colpa che nessuno conosce, un peccato originale che potrebbe essere il solo fatto d’essere nati in un posto così ostile e poco ospitale. Un nucleo umano su basi primordiali, con rapporti dominati dal sadismo, dalla rapacità, dal rancore, dall’autoritarismo, che si disintegra (e qui echeggia L’urlo e il furore).
Il paesaggio è fosco e spietato così come gli esseri umani che lo abitano, e anche a queste latitudini, i neri sono trattati come gli ultimi della lista, animali inclusi.
Le bestie, il cavallo Halley, i cani Uno, Due, Tre sono gli unici esseri viventi che sembrano provvisti di sentimento, e gli unici in grado di generarne anche in un essere umano, il piccolo Rafael.
La geografia patagonica è fatta di spazio che sembra infinito, quasi astratto, che invita a errare per praterie senza fine spazzate dal vento della solitudine. Una geografia vuota che solo l’immaginazione riesce a riempire.
Miseria, ignoranza una natura estrema e spietata,
Un romanzo crudo, dove i personaggi si nutrono di carne che allevano squartano e macellano, un romanzo un po’ thriller, un po’ western, un po’ fiaba nera, un po’ d’avventura. Generi e modi che di solito si conciliano a mano maschile: invece qui a scrivere è una donna di 47 anni, appassionata di cavalli.
Storia naturale della crudeltà.
Certe volte pensa che avrebbe dovuto affogarli appena nati, come si fa con i gattini indesiderati. Solo che va fatto subito. Dopo è troppo tardi. Non perché ci si affezioni, è che non è più il momento e basta. Dopo ti guardano. Hanno gli occhi aperti.
Storia naturale della crudeltà è il titolo della recensione che Leonetta Bentivoglio ha scritto su questo bel romanzo (La Repubblica di domenica scorsa). Non potevo non appropriarmene, l’evidente riferimento al libro di W.G.Sebald è per me irresistibile.
In una terra alla fine del mondo, la Patagonia, quella raccontata da Coloane, che appare riferimento luminoso di questo romanzo, così come altrettanto magnifico esempio si dimostra Cormac McCarthy…
… in un’epoca fuori dal tempo (anche se Collette a un certo punto inserisce un riferimento temporale, non una vera e propria data, ma di cui io non sentivo il bisogno), vive una famiglia senza nome: la madre è sempre e solo la madre, capofamiglia dopo aver fisicamente eliminato il padre, il quale, oltre che senza nome, è ormai anche senza corpo, visto quello che del suo ha fatto la donna - e i quattro figli, che un nome ce l’hanno, ma rimangono nella memoria soprattutto in quanto ‘i gemelli’ (Mauro e Joaquin), ‘lo scemo’ (Steban, minore di due anni), e ‘il piccolo’ (Rafael), l’ultimo nato, più che bullizzato dai gemelli direi torturato, seviziato, con una crudeltà e cattiveria senza motivo e senza limiti.
Ho detto, una famiglia che vive in Patagonia, ma la vita alla fine del mondo si presenta essenzialmente come un inferno, non ha nulla di attraente, è mera sopravvivenza, brutalità primordiale, miseria e ignoranza.
E la Patagonia si dimostra terra ostile, dura, inospitale, estrema, spietata, dove anche gli alberi non hanno voglia di mettere radici, brutale regno di figure feroci, selvatiche, tenebrose, abolizione del sentimento, a parte crudeltà, ferocia, odio, rabbia...
E, oltre il sentimento, Collette abolisce anche la psicologia.
A parte quella più direttamente riconducibile alla bestia, animale o umana che sia.
La famiglia sembra consumata da una colpa che nessuno conosce, un peccato originale che potrebbe essere il solo fatto d’essere nati in un posto così ostile e poco ospitale. Un nucleo umano su basi primordiali, con rapporti dominati dal sadismo, dalla rapacità, dal rancore, dall’autoritarismo, che si disintegra (e qui echeggia L’urlo e il furore).
Il paesaggio è fosco e spietato così come gli esseri umani che lo abitano, e anche a queste latitudini, i neri sono trattati come gli ultimi della lista, animali inclusi.
Le bestie, il cavallo Halley, i cani Uno, Due, Tre sono gli unici esseri viventi che sembrano provvisti di sentimento, e gli unici in grado di generarne anche in un essere umano, il piccolo Rafael.
La geografia patagonica è fatta di spazio che sembra infinito, quasi astratto, che invita a errare per praterie senza fine spazzate dal vento della solitudine. Una geografia vuota che solo l’immaginazione riesce a riempire.
Miseria, ignoranza una natura estrema e spietata,
Un romanzo crudo, dove i personaggi si nutrono di carne che allevano squartano e macellano, un romanzo un po’ thriller, un po’ western, un po’ fiaba nera, un po’ d’avventura. Generi e modi che di solito si conciliano a mano maschile: invece qui a scrivere è una donna di 47 anni, appassionata di cavalli.
Storia naturale della crudeltà.
Certe volte pensa che avrebbe dovuto affogarli appena nati, come si fa con i gattini indesiderati. Solo che va fatto subito. Dopo è troppo tardi. Non perché ci si affezioni, è che non è più il momento e basta. Dopo ti guardano. Hanno gli occhi aperti.
Storia naturale della crudeltà è il titolo della recensione che Leonetta Bentivoglio ha scritto su questo bel romanzo (La Repubblica di domenica scorsa). Non potevo non appropriarmene, l’evidente riferimento al libro di W.G.Sebald è per me irresistibile.
October 24, 2019
I loved this book. It won't be for everyone, but I found it fascinating in content and style.
I don't think this novel is well known, judging from the lack of ratings here in the U.S.(it was written by a French author), and I thank my friend, Claire M, for bringing it to my attention. It reminded me of an earlier read, The Power of the Dog--another book about fractured relationships and ranching in harsh conditions. This novel follows "the mother" and her four sons, as we stumble into the rabbit-hole of their dark lives. I was hooked by the first page.
I would characterize the narrative as densely stream-of-consciousness-like, shifting from one character to another, experiencing their point of view as events unfold. There's little dialogue and little happens on the outside. This is a character based read and much happens on the inside of each character, as we are dragged through the outcomes of choice-points. The foreboding is palpable as you turn page-corners of their haunted house, not completely sure you want to see what's around the bend.
The author's prose was unlike many I've read, and I loved it.
"So Rafael will be like those solitary eagles who never get attached, indifferent to their isolation, hiding in their inaccessible nests. One of those wild beasts that crawl through the swamps avoiding their fellow creatures, reaching their burrow with the prey they've torn from the sky or earth for sole companion....Rafael grows up with that wound inside him, and with every insult he forms his scar tissue, and he licks his wounds for hours on end. Gradually he learns to curb the urge to beg others to let him be a part of the family."
"If he wants to leave he'll have to be like one of those hares caught in a trap that gnaws at its own paw to get free, never knowing if it will stop bleeding, because in that moment it's not a matter of life or death, but just of getting away."
"...this strange impression that things are turning out as they should, and somewhere inside a faint sense of relief is suddenly making its way in, a chink, a breach in the density of all these previous months...."
Nothing But Dust is a dark and disturbing read on many levels and a fascinating study of all that can go wrong in a family. But it was never oppressive and offered bits of hope and redemption when you least expected it. There is a scene with the dog, "Three", that is poignant and telling. In the end, it is at least a partial triumph, against all odds. I'd love to say more, but don't want to spoil the read for any who might be interested. For me, it demonstrated the best and worst of human nature, and all the wasteland in between where souls flounder.
I don't think this novel is well known, judging from the lack of ratings here in the U.S.(it was written by a French author), and I thank my friend, Claire M, for bringing it to my attention. It reminded me of an earlier read, The Power of the Dog--another book about fractured relationships and ranching in harsh conditions. This novel follows "the mother" and her four sons, as we stumble into the rabbit-hole of their dark lives. I was hooked by the first page.
I would characterize the narrative as densely stream-of-consciousness-like, shifting from one character to another, experiencing their point of view as events unfold. There's little dialogue and little happens on the outside. This is a character based read and much happens on the inside of each character, as we are dragged through the outcomes of choice-points. The foreboding is palpable as you turn page-corners of their haunted house, not completely sure you want to see what's around the bend.
The author's prose was unlike many I've read, and I loved it.
"So Rafael will be like those solitary eagles who never get attached, indifferent to their isolation, hiding in their inaccessible nests. One of those wild beasts that crawl through the swamps avoiding their fellow creatures, reaching their burrow with the prey they've torn from the sky or earth for sole companion....Rafael grows up with that wound inside him, and with every insult he forms his scar tissue, and he licks his wounds for hours on end. Gradually he learns to curb the urge to beg others to let him be a part of the family."
"If he wants to leave he'll have to be like one of those hares caught in a trap that gnaws at its own paw to get free, never knowing if it will stop bleeding, because in that moment it's not a matter of life or death, but just of getting away."
"...this strange impression that things are turning out as they should, and somewhere inside a faint sense of relief is suddenly making its way in, a chink, a breach in the density of all these previous months...."
Nothing But Dust is a dark and disturbing read on many levels and a fascinating study of all that can go wrong in a family. But it was never oppressive and offered bits of hope and redemption when you least expected it. There is a scene with the dog, "Three", that is poignant and telling. In the end, it is at least a partial triumph, against all odds. I'd love to say more, but don't want to spoil the read for any who might be interested. For me, it demonstrated the best and worst of human nature, and all the wasteland in between where souls flounder.
January 12, 2019
Loved it, atmospheric, great character building, poignant, reflective, harrowing at times, but elements of nature and the unconditional connection with animals balance out the worst aspects of humanity, and karma is allowed to work. Reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy.
We know how tough and relentless life is, and is going to continue to be from the opening pages as the elder twin brothers carry out their favourite cruel tricks on the youngest brother Raphael; they’re fearful of the mother, but know she won’t intervene, her ideas on how to raise boys doesn’t include protecting or consoling them. Young Raphael becomes the son the reader will sympathise with and wish things for, throughout this thrilling novel.
It’s a novel of survival, not just the physical hard work, the long days but the need of the two younger brothers to always be on alert, Steban they call the half-wit, silenced by what he has seen, not trusting anyone, his allegiances drift knowing he is unable to stand up to any of them.
We become immersed in this life on a sheep farm with The Mother, her four sons, a dog named Three and the Criollos they ride, on the arid, infertile steppe they live on in Patagonia. All they’ve known and grown up with is harsh and menacing, reliably so; all they know is work, for her.
When The Mother makes her first mistake, it opens a crack in her tight-fisted way of ruling the way they live, a slipway through which things might be different, we are lead out of the plateau towards the forest, towards the light with a deft, atmospheric thrill and underlying dread.
When Raphael must track down two missing horses, he is lead out of the steppe towards lands that are unfamiliar, encountering new terrain. While Sandrine Collette has demonstrated a talent for creating unforgettable characters, here she excels in depicting the landscape as it changes from the dry, dusty, harshness of the plateau to the lush, fertile, freedom of the forest.
As the mother exhibits weakness, loosening her indomitable control over the boys, the rage of the elder twin begins to rise. It is that Lord of the Flies moment, that human impulse towards savagery no longer contained by the mother’s warped rules supposed to keep it in check. The mother and the elder son embrace that savagery and as long as they are in unison, they rule. The younger sons represent civilisation, violence is not their instrument. They observe, learn, they seek a different way.
It’s a fantastic, compelling novel of the human condition, in an original setting and family dynamic. Thought provoking, atmospheric, charged with tension, it will stay with you long after reading.
Highly Recommended.
We know how tough and relentless life is, and is going to continue to be from the opening pages as the elder twin brothers carry out their favourite cruel tricks on the youngest brother Raphael; they’re fearful of the mother, but know she won’t intervene, her ideas on how to raise boys doesn’t include protecting or consoling them. Young Raphael becomes the son the reader will sympathise with and wish things for, throughout this thrilling novel.
Because he was the youngest, his brothers had gotten into the habit of chasing him around the house on horseback when their mother wasn’t watching. As soon as the twins had grown strong enough to grab him by the collar and lift him up at a gallop from astride their criollos, it became their favourite pastime.
It’s a novel of survival, not just the physical hard work, the long days but the need of the two younger brothers to always be on alert, Steban they call the half-wit, silenced by what he has seen, not trusting anyone, his allegiances drift knowing he is unable to stand up to any of them.
He realises that for as long as he can remember, he has always been flanked by anxiety. The apprehension of the next blow, the insults. And everything else.
We become immersed in this life on a sheep farm with The Mother, her four sons, a dog named Three and the Criollos they ride, on the arid, infertile steppe they live on in Patagonia. All they’ve known and grown up with is harsh and menacing, reliably so; all they know is work, for her.
There are evenings when she reminds herself that she came from a family of wretches with neither land nor fortune, and that everything seemed to point to a future of working herself to the bone in the service of others, and she grumbles and ruminates, finds a thousand things wrong with the steppe she’s been left with – well, that was the least she was owed, after all the misery she endured year after year. There is no room for gratitude in the mother’s life: what she has, she deserves.
When The Mother makes her first mistake, it opens a crack in her tight-fisted way of ruling the way they live, a slipway through which things might be different, we are lead out of the plateau towards the forest, towards the light with a deft, atmospheric thrill and underlying dread.
When Raphael must track down two missing horses, he is lead out of the steppe towards lands that are unfamiliar, encountering new terrain. While Sandrine Collette has demonstrated a talent for creating unforgettable characters, here she excels in depicting the landscape as it changes from the dry, dusty, harshness of the plateau to the lush, fertile, freedom of the forest.
The change of landscape leaves him stunned; all he has ever known is the treeless steppe. He looks up at the magnificent boughs, the changing hues of entire regions where the rain has ventured…
Goes and sits down.
If he was at the farm he would never do this, but solitude and freedom propel him.
As the mother exhibits weakness, loosening her indomitable control over the boys, the rage of the elder twin begins to rise. It is that Lord of the Flies moment, that human impulse towards savagery no longer contained by the mother’s warped rules supposed to keep it in check. The mother and the elder son embrace that savagery and as long as they are in unison, they rule. The younger sons represent civilisation, violence is not their instrument. They observe, learn, they seek a different way.
It’s a fantastic, compelling novel of the human condition, in an original setting and family dynamic. Thought provoking, atmospheric, charged with tension, it will stay with you long after reading.
Highly Recommended.
August 23, 2020
“Bisogna essere temprati per vivere in quel posto, perché l’esistenza è dura… Lei si è forgiata al randello e i suoi figli seguiranno la stessa strada.”
Il luogo è la Patagonia stepposa e selvaggia, dove una madre con quattro figli manda avanti la fattoria allevando animali, rassegnandosi a poco a poco a dover rinunciare alle mandrie, preda ormai degli allevamenti intensivi e accontentandosi di produrre lana dalle pecore.
La vita è durissima, segnata dal ritmo delle stagioni, il lavoro è l’unica realtà conosciuta dai fratelli, la madre l’unica autorità, dispotica e dominatrice.
I figli maggiori, due gemelli, tiranneggiano i minori, ma soprattutto Rafael, il più piccolo, che subisce in silenzio e senza possibilità di difesa le peggiori angherie.
Nessuno di loro intravede possibilità di emancipazione oltre l’orizzonte limitato dell’estancia e oltre i confini morali elementari stabiliti da una madre potente e sempre più incattivita.
Gli eventi che rapidamente precipitano aumenteranno la tensione e la follia, accelerando il ritmo della storia, fino all'imprevedibile finale.
Lo stile è sontuoso, avvincente, la narrazione è corale, anche se Rafael è il vero protagonista, e la sua evoluzione la più interessante nel quadro delle relazioni fra i personaggi; insomma...il richiamo a Faulkner è ampiamente giustificato.
La storia, galoppando con andatura di thriller verso gli eventi che cambieranno la situazione, presenta forse qualche eccesso, anche se la scrittura di Sandrine Collette mantiene la promessa iniziale di tenerci incollati alle pagine fino alla fine.
Il luogo è la Patagonia stepposa e selvaggia, dove una madre con quattro figli manda avanti la fattoria allevando animali, rassegnandosi a poco a poco a dover rinunciare alle mandrie, preda ormai degli allevamenti intensivi e accontentandosi di produrre lana dalle pecore.
La vita è durissima, segnata dal ritmo delle stagioni, il lavoro è l’unica realtà conosciuta dai fratelli, la madre l’unica autorità, dispotica e dominatrice.
I figli maggiori, due gemelli, tiranneggiano i minori, ma soprattutto Rafael, il più piccolo, che subisce in silenzio e senza possibilità di difesa le peggiori angherie.
Nessuno di loro intravede possibilità di emancipazione oltre l’orizzonte limitato dell’estancia e oltre i confini morali elementari stabiliti da una madre potente e sempre più incattivita.
Gli eventi che rapidamente precipitano aumenteranno la tensione e la follia, accelerando il ritmo della storia, fino all'imprevedibile finale.
Lo stile è sontuoso, avvincente, la narrazione è corale, anche se Rafael è il vero protagonista, e la sua evoluzione la più interessante nel quadro delle relazioni fra i personaggi; insomma...il richiamo a Faulkner è ampiamente giustificato.
La storia, galoppando con andatura di thriller verso gli eventi che cambieranno la situazione, presenta forse qualche eccesso, anche se la scrittura di Sandrine Collette mantiene la promessa iniziale di tenerci incollati alle pagine fino alla fine.
August 2, 2019
Out on the Patagonian steppes is an estancia with horses, dogs, sheep, cattle and a family - well, a family of sorts anyway. They may be related by blood, but they thrive on hatred; hatred between parents, hatred between mother and sons, hatred between siblings. Their only relief from hatred is their back breaking work on the estancia.
One little brother is cruelly bullied and tormented, another brother sees something that he shouldn't have seen and that torments him, another brother is dealt a cruel blow but as a result he learns the meaning of simple kindness, and the other brother - oh, that brother...
And then something happens that ramps up tensions even further.
This grim tale is well written, and it has good characterisation as well as excellent descriptions of life on the ranch and beyond.
"They might be the last inhabitants of this deserted land, and yet the steppe is swarming with infinitesimal, insignificant life, flying, crawling, hissing life. Their ears and feet buzz with them. They can hear the owls hooting in the distance, the foxes barking. But nothing seems alive but them and their long silent march, and their shadow cast ahead of them by the stars. Nothing stops them. They could walk to the end of time, were it not for the events about to befall them, and which no one has seen coming."
One little brother is cruelly bullied and tormented, another brother sees something that he shouldn't have seen and that torments him, another brother is dealt a cruel blow but as a result he learns the meaning of simple kindness, and the other brother - oh, that brother...
And then something happens that ramps up tensions even further.
This grim tale is well written, and it has good characterisation as well as excellent descriptions of life on the ranch and beyond.
"They might be the last inhabitants of this deserted land, and yet the steppe is swarming with infinitesimal, insignificant life, flying, crawling, hissing life. Their ears and feet buzz with them. They can hear the owls hooting in the distance, the foxes barking. But nothing seems alive but them and their long silent march, and their shadow cast ahead of them by the stars. Nothing stops them. They could walk to the end of time, were it not for the events about to befall them, and which no one has seen coming."
June 4, 2017
Ma che gli prende ai docenti universitari francesi? Prima Fred Vargas che va a fare scavi archeologici e durante le vacanze scrive le avventure del detective con cui conquisterà mezzo mondo, ora Sandrine Collette che non si accontenta della cattedra a Nanterre e di fare la sua brava carriera da scrittrice di thriller, no, tira fuori questo romanzone dal taglio classico e dal respiro selvaggio capace di vendere 170mila in Francia.
Resta La Polvere racconta della quotidiana brutalità della vita degli allevatori nelle lande desolate della Patagonia e della peculiare crudeltà che si sviluppa nell’estancia gestita da una donna consumata dall’invidia e dall’avidità e dai suoi quattro figli, tre dei quali coalizzati contro il Piccolo, bersaglio di una serie infinita di angherie. Messa così è quanto di più lontano possibile dalla mia confort zone (e di confortevole e consolante in questo romanzo non c’è davvero nulla), ma la scrittura è così tersa e la storia è così scevra di qualsivoglia compiacimento o cavillo letterario nel guardare in faccia lo squallore dei miserabili protagonisti che mi ha conquistata.
Resta La Polvere racconta della quotidiana brutalità della vita degli allevatori nelle lande desolate della Patagonia e della peculiare crudeltà che si sviluppa nell’estancia gestita da una donna consumata dall’invidia e dall’avidità e dai suoi quattro figli, tre dei quali coalizzati contro il Piccolo, bersaglio di una serie infinita di angherie. Messa così è quanto di più lontano possibile dalla mia confort zone (e di confortevole e consolante in questo romanzo non c’è davvero nulla), ma la scrittura è così tersa e la storia è così scevra di qualsivoglia compiacimento o cavillo letterario nel guardare in faccia lo squallore dei miserabili protagonisti che mi ha conquistata.
August 12, 2020
It's been a long time since I read a novel that was so compelling I tore through it in a day. It brings the late-1800s Argentinian steppe to life as a single mother and her four sons rage and seethe and despise each other while working themselves to the bone raising cattle and sheep. And as wild and unpleasant as that premise might sound, the energetic prose (translated from French by Alison Anderson) of this Europa novel moves from character to character to build suspenseful and at times tender moments along with terrible violence and the visceral tang of bodies, sweat, and dust. It is Collette's English debut, though she has written several novels. I can't wait to read more of her work.
January 3, 2018
Un beau roman et une histoire forte, Sandrine COLLETTE est une excellente conteuse. Par contre j'ai lu ce livre car il était sélectionné pour le prix du polar SNCF 2018. Hors, à mon sens, à part la noirceur et la violence, cela n'a rien d'un polar. C'est un drame familial, mâtiné de chronique sociale mais en aucun cas un polar. Il n'en reste pas moins que, malgré quelques longueurs, c'est un bon bouquin.
April 26, 2019
I wasn’t going to miss this, a novel set in Patagonia, a place where I spent every vacation and lots of weekends for five years when I lived in Chile.
It is described by many reviewers as in the ‘southern’ style of many US authors such as McCarthy, O’Connor, Woodrell etc. I can see why, but as good a read as it is (in places), it doesn’t ever reach those heights.
It’s the story of 4 boys and a formidable matriarch, struggling to exist in a remote estancia in the late 1800s. There are the necessary evil characters, in the mother, and one the the two twins (the oldest brothers), but Collette can never quite create the darkness of those she has been compared to. Some other characters are just too nice. It’s also too long by a hundred pages. Some chapters, such as the one in which young Rafael, the hero, comes across an old man in a cave (which actually takes up two chapters), could be much more concise.
It is described by many reviewers as in the ‘southern’ style of many US authors such as McCarthy, O’Connor, Woodrell etc. I can see why, but as good a read as it is (in places), it doesn’t ever reach those heights.
It’s the story of 4 boys and a formidable matriarch, struggling to exist in a remote estancia in the late 1800s. There are the necessary evil characters, in the mother, and one the the two twins (the oldest brothers), but Collette can never quite create the darkness of those she has been compared to. Some other characters are just too nice. It’s also too long by a hundred pages. Some chapters, such as the one in which young Rafael, the hero, comes across an old man in a cave (which actually takes up two chapters), could be much more concise.
March 30, 2019
There are riveting moments in this bleak story that takes place on a bleak Patagonian ranch. The familial life and relationships are fraught and only one character is sympathetic. Then, more than halfway through the cruelty, there is a bit of a mystery, and that provides diversion from the misery. But that respite is brief. The writing is beautiful but the brutality makes this hard to read.
December 3, 2018
Life’s hard for sheep and cattle farmers on the bleak Patagonian steppe, but it’s rendered yet harsher for four boys brought up on a ruined estancia without love. Especially for Rafael, born after their father’s departure, and relentlessly bullied by his big brothers from almost the moment he emerged from the womb. Raised on thrashings herself, the mother turns a blind eye to the child’s maltreatment and pins the blame on him when he staggers home, dirty, scratched and bruised.
Full review
Where is love? Nothing but Dust & In the City of Love’s Sleep https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post...
Full review
Where is love? Nothing but Dust & In the City of Love’s Sleep https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post...
February 6, 2019
So I almost did not read this book, which would have been a pity. This book, which centers on a matriarch and her 4 sons on some destitute estancia in Patagonia, is so unlike other books I have read recently. Really, all the characters are pretty unlikeable, and while that is often off putting for me, I rather enjoyed this in this book. The abuse between the boys, the mean mother (just The Mother in the book) and the desolate location make for some intense drama.
Not all families are great, and some are just so much better off apart. This family certainly is....
Recommended.
Not all families are great, and some are just so much better off apart. This family certainly is....
Recommended.
August 14, 2022
Et me voici à jour dans la découverte de l’œuvre de Sandrine Collette, avec pour finir un coup de cœur ! Il reste de la poussière nous transporte jusqu’en Patagonie, à croire que Collette raffole de contextes et de situations extrêmes.
[Vous pouvez lire la suite sur mon blog, merci :)]
[Vous pouvez lire la suite sur mon blog, merci :)]
November 27, 2019
Ho trovato piuttosto frettolosa la situazione di svolta del libro (non scrivo quale per non rivelare parte del libro a chi lo vuole leggere): episodio non motivato, improvviso, sorvolato. Un po' deludente ma scritto, secondo me, bene.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2017
Histoire originale, on se plonge rapidement dans l'univers. Pas très joyeux
October 24, 2022
Vous en voulez, du dépaysement profond et des tripes ? Il reste la poussière resserra son étau autour de vous pendant toute votre lecture, vous vous retrouverez pris au piège dans l'estancia d'une famille paysanne dont vous ne voudrez pas faire partie des membres. Nous voilà embarqués par la plume de Sandrine Collette sur les steppes arides et inconnues de l'Argentine, dans une vie de labeur sans fin et de sueur. Ce bout d'enfer partagé entre quatre fils qui se haïssent et une mère infecte nous est ainsi ouvert avec l'écriture mémorable de Sandrine Collette. En effet, l'une des premières choses qui saute aux yeux, c'est son style ; certes lent et poétique, il nous entraîne dans la vie difficile d'une famille paysanne, en prenant le temps de décrire les étapes d'une saison avec les animaux, ou les états d'esprit, les idées de vengeance, les désirs de lointain, les doutes… Parfois peut-être trop, selon les goûts. Écriture mémorable parce que les mots se mêlent avec poésie, et que l'on apprécie ou non l'histoire n'empêchera pas de se laisser happer par un paragraphe ou une phrase aride, ou tranchante.
Il reste la poussière ne serait rien sans la fratrie déchirée par l'absence paternelle et la présence d'une mère froide, que l'on qualifiera à quelques reprises de tyrannique et manipulatrice. L'estancia, l'un des seuls lieux qui nous est permis de découvrir à travers le point de vue des cinq personnages, se referme ainsi comme une prison. Un lieu qui les consume de l'intérieur, mais sitôt en dehors de ces murs et de ces clôtures, la vie prend un autre goût. Un goût d'inconnu, de liberté, d'indépendance. Ce qui frappe aussi entre ces lignes, c'est… la lenteur. Peut-on parler d'intrigue ? Il y en a bien une, celle de la longue déchéance d'une famille, dont on voit le parcours par étape. Peut-on parler de polar, parfois estampillé thriller, même ? Non, il ne s'agit en rien d'un polar, ni d'un policier. C'est un roman noir, un « country noir », de la trempe de Les raisins de la colère, de John Steinbeck, avec bien sûr des différences, mais une manière de raconter pas si éloignée que ça. On assiste à la vie de labeur qui, peu à peu, glisse dans l'engrenage d'une violence sans merci, qui prend son temps pour monter et trouver, sans surprise, son apogée sur les derniers chapitres.
L'estancia, la ferme argentine, un lieu de misère où tous les efforts fournis ne mènent qu'à un repos sommaire, sans aucune récompense. Qu'est-ce que le bonheur, ces personnages là en connaissent-ils la définition, ce mot si étrange ? Chacun a l'occasion d'être le héros de courts chapitres qui décrivent la vie d'un point de vue différent. Ainsi, les quatre frères et la mère ont le droit de raconter leur version et leurs doutes. Lorsque la mère nous paraît cruelle et méchante, voici que ses chapitres ouvrent une autre perspective. Si l'on excuse en rien ses actions et ses pensées, on en comprend les rouages et la manière de réfléchir, de percevoir ce monde qui lui a été si hostile. Il en est de même avec chacun des frères, où progressivement, notre vision d'eux change en même temps qu'ils évoluent, en bien comme en terrible.
Il s'agira là d'une lecture relativement courte mais pas moins troublante ; Il reste la poussière est un enchaînement de doutes et de crainte, de violence dissimulée ou au contraire, visible à tous, et où l'on sait que les personnages n'en ressortiront pas tous indemnes, parce que l'estancia les a vu grandir dans un climat de colère, comment s'en défaire ? Pas un polar donc, et ceux qui se dirigeront vers ce roman en le voyant dans cette étiquette seront très probablement déçus, et trouveront peut-être l'intrigue ennuyeuse, fade et insipide. Les autres y verront une tranche de vie dans l'Argentine du XIXème siècle, où s'entrechoquent labeur et misère. Pour moi, ça sera une très bonne expérience, malgré des longueurs qui m'auront ralenti dans ma lecture ; je constate maintenant que ces longs moments étaient nécessaires pour appréhender cet univers si dépaysant, et ces comportements si troublants, loin de notre morale, et pourtant très humains. Ne reste-t-il vraiment que la poussière dans ce monde si lointain ?
Chronique publiée initialement le 03 mars 2021 : https://saveurlitteraire.wordpress.co...
Il reste la poussière ne serait rien sans la fratrie déchirée par l'absence paternelle et la présence d'une mère froide, que l'on qualifiera à quelques reprises de tyrannique et manipulatrice. L'estancia, l'un des seuls lieux qui nous est permis de découvrir à travers le point de vue des cinq personnages, se referme ainsi comme une prison. Un lieu qui les consume de l'intérieur, mais sitôt en dehors de ces murs et de ces clôtures, la vie prend un autre goût. Un goût d'inconnu, de liberté, d'indépendance. Ce qui frappe aussi entre ces lignes, c'est… la lenteur. Peut-on parler d'intrigue ? Il y en a bien une, celle de la longue déchéance d'une famille, dont on voit le parcours par étape. Peut-on parler de polar, parfois estampillé thriller, même ? Non, il ne s'agit en rien d'un polar, ni d'un policier. C'est un roman noir, un « country noir », de la trempe de Les raisins de la colère, de John Steinbeck, avec bien sûr des différences, mais une manière de raconter pas si éloignée que ça. On assiste à la vie de labeur qui, peu à peu, glisse dans l'engrenage d'une violence sans merci, qui prend son temps pour monter et trouver, sans surprise, son apogée sur les derniers chapitres.
L'estancia, la ferme argentine, un lieu de misère où tous les efforts fournis ne mènent qu'à un repos sommaire, sans aucune récompense. Qu'est-ce que le bonheur, ces personnages là en connaissent-ils la définition, ce mot si étrange ? Chacun a l'occasion d'être le héros de courts chapitres qui décrivent la vie d'un point de vue différent. Ainsi, les quatre frères et la mère ont le droit de raconter leur version et leurs doutes. Lorsque la mère nous paraît cruelle et méchante, voici que ses chapitres ouvrent une autre perspective. Si l'on excuse en rien ses actions et ses pensées, on en comprend les rouages et la manière de réfléchir, de percevoir ce monde qui lui a été si hostile. Il en est de même avec chacun des frères, où progressivement, notre vision d'eux change en même temps qu'ils évoluent, en bien comme en terrible.
Il s'agira là d'une lecture relativement courte mais pas moins troublante ; Il reste la poussière est un enchaînement de doutes et de crainte, de violence dissimulée ou au contraire, visible à tous, et où l'on sait que les personnages n'en ressortiront pas tous indemnes, parce que l'estancia les a vu grandir dans un climat de colère, comment s'en défaire ? Pas un polar donc, et ceux qui se dirigeront vers ce roman en le voyant dans cette étiquette seront très probablement déçus, et trouveront peut-être l'intrigue ennuyeuse, fade et insipide. Les autres y verront une tranche de vie dans l'Argentine du XIXème siècle, où s'entrechoquent labeur et misère. Pour moi, ça sera une très bonne expérience, malgré des longueurs qui m'auront ralenti dans ma lecture ; je constate maintenant que ces longs moments étaient nécessaires pour appréhender cet univers si dépaysant, et ces comportements si troublants, loin de notre morale, et pourtant très humains. Ne reste-t-il vraiment que la poussière dans ce monde si lointain ?
Chronique publiée initialement le 03 mars 2021 : https://saveurlitteraire.wordpress.co...
February 25, 2019
This is a very dark book but the wonderful descriptions of Patagonia and the beautiful interactions with horses soften a little the atmosphere.
The claustrophobic climate within the family is even more dramatic as it is set against the infinity of the South American landscape. The author does a great job at depicting the outdoors, she managed to transport me there.
Even if the pace is fairly slow, I could not put this book down; I wanted to know what was going to happen and I cared about the characters, especially the youngest.
It's a story of survival that reminded me of Cormac McCarthy novels. Each member of this family is simply trying to survive, and on some level, behave like the animals they take care of.
The narrative is told through the eyes of each of the family members and it really helped me understand their mind, their actions, even if you can't excuse some of them.
A fascinating book, and I am curious to read more by that author that I am glad I just discovered.
The claustrophobic climate within the family is even more dramatic as it is set against the infinity of the South American landscape. The author does a great job at depicting the outdoors, she managed to transport me there.
Even if the pace is fairly slow, I could not put this book down; I wanted to know what was going to happen and I cared about the characters, especially the youngest.
It's a story of survival that reminded me of Cormac McCarthy novels. Each member of this family is simply trying to survive, and on some level, behave like the animals they take care of.
The narrative is told through the eyes of each of the family members and it really helped me understand their mind, their actions, even if you can't excuse some of them.
A fascinating book, and I am curious to read more by that author that I am glad I just discovered.
May 11, 2019
L'histoire marquante d'un drame familial en Patagonie, baignée de misère sociale et relationnelle, où la lutte pour la survie est quotidienne. Les liens du sang ne constituent même plus la protection élémentaire quand tout part en poussière. Et pourtant, l'idéalisme empreint de naiveté du plus jeune fils de la famille donnera jusqu'au bout, l'occasion d'y croire. Un très beau roman de Sandrine Collette, à la frontière du roman réaliste et du roman noir, qui aurait mérité une plus large audience.
May 14, 2017
It's a gem!
Beautifully written, raw, dark, violent... The author expresses the emotions so accurately that you can feel the dirt and smell the blood spilled. The psychology behind the characters is outstanding, so well built that the reader thinks they really existed or could have existed.
It was the first book I read by Sandrine Collette, but not the last. She is an incredibly talented writer and I am totally hooked.
Beautifully written, raw, dark, violent... The author expresses the emotions so accurately that you can feel the dirt and smell the blood spilled. The psychology behind the characters is outstanding, so well built that the reader thinks they really existed or could have existed.
It was the first book I read by Sandrine Collette, but not the last. She is an incredibly talented writer and I am totally hooked.
June 18, 2025
J'ai découvert Sandrine Colette avec On était des loups qui m'a happée, puis avec Madeleine avant l'aube qui m'a un peu déçue mais j'ai insisté avec Il reste la poussière et là, flop total : je ne suis pas rentrée du tout dans le roman. Les personnages sont à mes yeux trop caricaturaux, les enjeux relationnels sans finesse, l'intrigue sans grande surprise et le style sans réelle pâte... Très très moyen à mon goût...
July 7, 2017
Une atmosphère terrible règne dans ce coin austère d'Argentine. On ressent une souffrance dans cette famille que l'on observe. C'est un livre d'une noirceur comme on en voit rarement. La langue est brutale mais très poétique et on se prend d'affection pour ceux qui essaient de sortir de l'emprise de cette mère qui elle même essaie de survivre sur ces terres arides battues par un vent glacial.
January 23, 2019
Loin d’être jubilatoire, mais pas mauvais du tout non plus. Un roman noir familial dans une contrée perdu au fin fond de l'Argentine, les steppes de Patagonie. Nous suivrons tout au long de ces pages la vie dure et hostile d'une famille de Gauchos (cowboys) que tout sépare. Seul le dur labeur les rassemble dans l'amertume qu'ils éprouvent tout à chacun. Une histoire sombre et cruelle.
December 15, 2020
This is a powerful book in the genre that would also contain Cormac McCarthy's All The Pretty Horses and say Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain, in that it deals with struggle against the odds, with the natural world one of the protagonists. In my view Nothing But Dust knocks those into a cocked cowboy hat.
October 7, 2017
Au bout de la lecture interminable de ce pesudo-thriller, il ne reste... que la poussière !
Poussière qu'il aurait mieux valu cacher sous le tapis tant elle a le goût acre d'une steppe aussi aride que l'histoire.
Poussière qu'il aurait mieux valu cacher sous le tapis tant elle a le goût acre d'une steppe aussi aride que l'histoire.
January 25, 2019
C'est mon 3ème livre de cette auteur. J'ai adoré les 2 précédents mais celui-ci n'est que pure tristesse. L'écriture est toujours aussi bonne mais le fil de l'histoire m'a vraiment rendue triste. C'est par rapport à mes sentiments que je lui mets 3 étoiles mais il faut le lire pour comprendre.
October 14, 2019
Wasn't sure how I was going to like this in the beginning, but it was an enjoyable book outside of my comfort zone, which is part of the point of a book club I suppose! I still have a lot of questions so I'll be interested to discuss this and perhaps update the rest of this review later
November 1, 2022
3,5/5
Un roman puissant au décor hostile digne de la plume de Sandrine Collette.
Malgré quelques longueurs l'ambiance du roman combiné aux personnages développés avec brio ont su me garder intriguée à chaque page.
Un roman puissant au décor hostile digne de la plume de Sandrine Collette.
Malgré quelques longueurs l'ambiance du roman combiné aux personnages développés avec brio ont su me garder intriguée à chaque page.
November 15, 2022
On est en immersion totale avec cette famille argentine disfonctionnelle. Les tensions sont là, elles montent petit à petit. Les descriptions sont très belles pour une immersion garantie dans les plaines argentines.
December 15, 2023
Plutôt roman noir que polar.
Un coup de cœur, une épopée sur le dilemme de l'attachement familial, du sens d'appartenance et du désir indomptable d'indépendance.
Les désignations génériques de 'la mère', 'le petit', ' le jumeau ' confère au texte une dimension humaine.
Un coup de cœur, une épopée sur le dilemme de l'attachement familial, du sens d'appartenance et du désir indomptable d'indépendance.
Les désignations génériques de 'la mère', 'le petit', ' le jumeau ' confère au texte une dimension humaine.
August 19, 2017
The story is rather interesting, but the style is just pure horror. I couldn't finish it.
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