Lucien and Olivia

by André Narbonne

Lucien and Olivia by André Narbonne, author of Twelve Miles to Midnight, is a comic statement on the beautiful waywardness of life. Built on scenes of discovery and error, the novel satirizes the transactional view of human relations that has elbowed its way into our lives by way of contemporary political discourse. The novel is set in the 1980s before cell phones, personal computers, and Facebook “likes.” Lucien is a marine engineer on a Canadian tanker. While on one-month leave in Halifax, he meets Olivia, a brilliant philosophy student at Dalhousie University, who takes an immediate dislike to him. What begins as mutual antipathy changes when they discover how compatible their oddities are. Charged by Olivia not to say he loves her, Lucien returns to sea and to a job characterized by its plodding predictability. Here he discovers that not everything in his life is foreseeable, including his feelings for Olivia. This is a fascinating and different work of fiction.

Genres: Canada, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Fiction

110 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2022

About the author

A marine engineer by first trade, André Narbonne was living out of his duffel bag when he arrived in Halifax on a damaged tanker in the mid-eighties. He completed two degrees in English at Dalhousie University and a PhD at the University of  Western Ontario. He teaches English & Creative Writing at the University of  Windsor.

Reviews

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short novel that packs quite a lot in.

Lucien is an engineer who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. On shore leave he meets Olivia through a friend. At first they do not like each other but as time passes the two become close although neither seems to want to admit the relationship exists. Something unexpected happens which throws their relationship into doubt. The question Lucien must ask is does he care for this girl enough. Olivia needs to know who to believe and whether to trust her heart to Lucien.

I listened to the audio version which was well narrated by Steve Baker (Newfoundland accents and all). I only got confused a couple of time during short, sharp bursts of conversation as it is difficult for any narrator to modulate quickly between male and female voices. Otherwise it was excellent.

The story is a short one but delves deeply enough into relationship problems to be interesting. I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it as a short read.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some thoughts at https://atlanticbooks.ca/stories/chri....

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing book for sure since it was on the Heliconian Club Literary list.. I’d rate the audio book 2.5. I am wondering if I had read text if I would have found the book more enjoyable. I didn’t find it comedic or satirical at all, and I think it was supposed to be. I didn’t warm up to the characters, and really disliked 3 of the 4 women in the book. The men weren’t any better and I can’t say I liked Lucien much. I’m happy I only invested 4 hours in total.

[Philip Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short romance from Black Moss Press, set mostly in Halifax. A Sailor and a student clash, then find a passionate connection. Well- written, literary, very good dialogue.

[Magdelanye · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Everything means something.
-No. some things just happen. p16

Until they get too complicated and just don't.

This thoughtful tale of the power of attraction was a delightful surprise.

The distortion that comes from wanting to please, of anxiously pressing too hard. p71

4/5 for GR
5/7

[Stacey Mckeogh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely, short romance about a sailor and a student who accidentally find each other and have a whirlwind romance that suffers heartache. Quick and sweet.

[Bodies in the Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this audioARC from NetGalley expecting it to be a nostalgia trip to the 1980s, and while there were elements of that, the cultural reference point for me was really the 1990s TV show Dawson’s Creek. While I loved that series, I couldn’t deny the criticism levelled at it that “people don’t speak like that.”

I don’t know, maybe Andre Narbonne and his friends do have conversations like the ones his main character, Lucien, had with everyone around him, but for me they would be exhausting - there’s a faux depth that somehow manages to miss true connection.

Having said that, there is something fascinating about Lucien’s extreme naval gazing, and I enjoyed most of this listen. I did not like the sex scenes (I never do - it’s not something that interests me) and I did think the title slightly misleading - everyone in the book, including Olivia, is seen solely through Lucien’s eyes and exists only insofar as they relate to him. It’s a book that not only presents the male gaze as the norm but is actually about the gaze of one male and how his perception of the world impacts his reality. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m glad to have heard it and would recommend it to others who like literary fiction.

Three word review: Truly exhausting dialogue.

[iori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucien and Olivia is more than a romance novella. It is a character study, or rather: a character representation. It is a work of art that demonstrates a spectrum of relationships, their importance, and their consequences. Lucien and Olivia is a raw storytelling of how a man and a woman, so different yet so alike, navigate their opposing and intertwining relationships. While the story is named after them, it goes beyond two individuals, and you find yourself immersed in a world, a world made real in part because of the people existing beyond Lucien & Olivia, where every interaction means something, even if it’s as small as declaring the whole world is a bottle opener. Taking away all the noise of our current lives, Lucien and Olivia reminds readers what makes humans human.

[Jennifer Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The description, "the novel satirizes the transactional view of human relations...," led to my expectation of a somewhat sarcastic look at how two people interact. However that is not the book I listened to. Instead I felt the author's attempts at satire were crude, misogynistic, and offensive. The hope I had for a novel set in the 1980s was that of nostalgia and instead I came away feeling insulted. Besides the narration by Steve Baker there is nothing else I would recommend about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.

[Hailee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucien & Olivia was a great read! I really enjoyed the authors writing style, and how the characters and settings were brought to life. This novel sucked me into their love story rather quickly and had me wishing I could talk to the characters, or rather, found myself frustrated with the obstacles that were in the way of their love and wanting to shout "GO TO HER" and "YOU'RE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER!" It's been a day since I've finished Lucien & Olivia and I keep wondering what they are up to! When a book leaves me missing the characters, I know it was a good one.

[lenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very conflicting read for me. Some parts read like poetry and pithy quotes are scattered throughout… yet it feels so detached and unintentionally unrealistic. I almost feel this is how a teenager or someone otherwise younger would perceive relationships to be — and there is a delightful part to that, the feeling of novelty and excitement that I wish I could relive and just that sense of how no one else matters other than you and the person you love, how everyone else is just a side character… but the less delightful part is how delusional it all actually is.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

While short, Lucien and Olivia sings a very literary tune in this story based in Halifax, NS. The dialogue reads more like a stage play than realistic conversations between friends or lovers.

From the minutiae, you can tell the author has an in-depth knowledge of the engineering and mechanical processes of freighter ships. Though, I am not sure all that detail was necessary for the plot since it does impact the pace of the overall story quite a bit.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

received a copy of this ALC via NetGalley and ECW Press Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that this was a short novel. I thought the narration was done well. I really don’t enjoy giving a negative review if I can help it but I just did not enjoy listening to this short novel. I didn’t think the characters were enjoyable and I didn’t particularly care for them. I could not get interested and involved. It just felt like it ended just because without anything redeeming about it.

[Ramona Jennex]

Every once in a while one engages in a book that has many positive attributes- well written, interesting story, etc but yet doesn't connect with the reader. In discussion with my reading friends I could clearly condense the story and provide some interesting insights but overall, I came away feeling disconnected from the narrative.

[Jo Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s pitched as different, and it definitely is. I’m not sure that a lot of the detail was really necessary, but it was an okay read/listen. A very short novel that read very much like a play to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.

[Sylvia Barker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as an audiobook. I tried very hard to get into this book but the narrator's voice sounded computer-generated (although I think it was a real voice) and it made it impossible for me to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Nolan Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short novel is exactly as long as it needs to be to capture the fascination, longing, and the sometimes painful moments that take place as a relationship grows. Andre Narbonne’s prose reminds me of a Tom Waits song- beautifully crafted and unselfconsciously gritty at the same time. He made me genuinely care about the characters and miss them a bit when the book was over.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Lucien and Olivia is butterflies in your stomach, unbearable heartache that comes from the uncertainty of love, and filled to the brim with hope. An incredible read, impossible to put down!

[Mrs. Ruigrok · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read. The characters were "interesting" for lack of a better word. I could recognize the places which is often enjoyable when looking for a lighter book to read. The book was a different twist on a common theme.

[Dan MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling, beautiful story. The characters are brilliantly written, this is a read that I found myself stopping, mid-chapter to think about. I was invested in the characters and they will stick with me. Hoping there is more to come from the people in this novel.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucien and Olivia was a good read (the irony). I think to launch it into the category of a great book it would need a bit more character and plot development. I also felt very removed from the characters as if the author was trying to distance themselves from the characters.

[Kim Conklin]

This is a book I wish I could read again for the first time.

[Christa Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this love story that wasn't overly sweet.

[Thalia (itssinceslicedbread) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could smell the misogynistic energy from the first 30 minutes. I don't like when MCs use the word "tits" to seriously describe women. A lot of objectification going on here.

[Merritt Burstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Oldmanneill · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up

[Jovan Stefanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narbonne is capable of meddling muscular prose and grit description of 80s cargo-ships with a tender love story. Incandescent, brilliant, it was stated on the back cover but it really is as if Kerouac met Melville at a Halifax pier.

[Sandie Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucien and Olivia ripples with the flashing, fish-scale glimmer of linked experiences. It dives beneath phones ringing in booths and brash chattiness between acquaintances and lovers. Lucien and Olivia's narrative speaks to the tender, near-atmospheric hopelessness of human yearning.

Narbonne’s work vibrates with exquisite tensions. His characters work to repel and attract each other in turn. The honesty of relationships between these pained, beautiful people is curated by their interpretations of the inescapable realities of their lives, and the fears that are born out of living.

The constant fragmentation of shared and lonely human experiences animates each moment in these pages, highlighting the fragility and power of memory in the face of tragic imagining.

Do not miss out on this book, which has been longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize of 2022.
It made me smile through a difficult time. It inspired courage in my heart.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different work of fiction for sure

April 29, 2023 audiobook review:

I first read Lucien & Olivia by André Narbonne last year since it was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and I was excited to see it come out now in audiobook form. The narrator Steve Baker does a great job! I found the audiobook more engaging. Lucien meets Olivia in Halifax and it’s a little bit enemies to lovers as they don’t get along right away. This isn’t a romance book but their romantic relationship is the center of this novel. I enjoyed the Canadian setting. Upon my second read I concluded with the same thoughts that I didn’t love this book. Their relationship had its ups and downs and we only get Lucien’s perspective. He works away at sea for much of the time so he has a disconnect from Olivia. I’m glad I could listen to this one. It’s a short book so definitely give it a go if you’re interested.

Thank you to ECW Press Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

[Books with Benji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucien & Olivia is the debut novel by Canadian author and professor André Narbonne. It was recommended on the @getcanlitpodcast, and I was thrilled to find it at my local library! I also received an audiobook copy from @netgalley and @ecwpress. Thank you!

I really enjoyed this book. It takes place in the Canadian city of Halifax with Lucien, a marine engineer, and Olivia, a philosophy student. It's a short book, but filled to the brim with love, heartache, and the complexities of living and working on a Canadian tanker.

Lucien & Olivia was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller prize in 2022, and I think fans of Normal People by Sally Rooney and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami will enjoy it too!