Unforgivable

by Philippe Djian

Francis, a sixty-year-old author, has not written a word in the twelve years since his first wife and eldest daughter died in a tragic accident. Now his surviving daughter, Alice, a famous actress, has vanished, leaving her husband and twin daughters clueless as to her whereabouts. Francis’s second marriage of ten years, to Judith, is also falling apart, and his distress is compounded by his anxiety over Alice’s disappearance. He finds comfort in the company of an old friend, Anne-Marguerite, along with her son, JÉrÉmie, a laconic criminal attempting to remake himself in the outside world. But when Francis employs them to uncover evidence of his second wife’s affair and to help find his daughter, things go from bad to worse.

Genres: Fiction, France, Contemporary, Literature, Literary Fiction, Roman

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Philippe Djian (born 1949 in Paris) is a popular French author of Armenian descent.
Djian graduated from the ESJ Paris. After a period of wandering and odd jobs, he published a volume of short stories, 50 contre 1 (1981), and then the novels Bleu comme l'enfer (1982) and Zone érogène (1984) before gaining fame with his subsequent novels 37°2 le matin (1985) which was filmed by Jean-Jacques Beineix (1986; English title Betty Blue), Maudit Manège (1986), Echine (1988), Crocodiles (short stories) (1989), Lent dehors (1991), Sotos (1993), and Assassins (1994).

Reviews

[Sylvia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Also das war gar nicht meins. Egozentrischer alter Schriftsteller, der die ganze Zeit nur um sich selbst kreist. Komischerweise besitzt der Mann Familie bzw. eine Tochter mit Mann und Enkelkindern und eine zweite Frau, die ihm die ganze Zeit eigentlich nur auf die Nerven gehen und vom Arbeiten abhalten bzw. den armen Mann auch nicht ausreichen unterstützen. Ansonsten gibt es noch eine Jugendfreundin, mit der er mal geschlafen hat - oder auch nicht, und deren kriminellen Sohn. Zwischendurch auftretende Spannungsmomente, die die Geschichte vielleicht mal ein bisschen voranbringen könnten, werden vom Autor doch eher lieblos in einem Absatz abgehandelt (man fragt sich, warum sie überhaupt vorkommen, wenn sie dem Autor doch anscheinend nicht wichtig waren), und das Ende kommt dann plötzlich drastisch-blutig daher, dazwischen herrscht leider über weite Strecken der Monolog des nörgelnden, unverstandenen Schriftstellers und das macht einfach keinen Spaß. Ein ganz klarer Fall von "Was will uns der Autor mit dieser Geschichte sagen?". Ich habe es leider nicht verstanden, von daher war das wohl mein erster und letzer Djian.

[Laurent · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his own style, Djian describes how a man, a writer, can't figure how to keep people around him. Touching but irritating, mature but childish, this man could have everything and has nothing. Parents-children relationships, husband-wife relationships, he fails no matter how much he tries, whether he forgives or not. He shows us how difficult it is to live and be loved.

Dans son propre style, Djian decrit comment un homme, un ecrivain, n'arrive pas a trouver le moyen de garder les gens pres de lui. Touchant mais penible, mature mais pueril, cet homme pourrait tout avoir et n'a rien. Les relations parents-enfants, mari-femme, il y echoue quel que soit ses efforts, qu'il pardonne ou pas. Il nous montre combien c'est difficile de vivre et d'etre aime.

[Wolfgang Amadeus Brozart · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bis zur Hälfte durchgehalten und abgebrochen. Aufrichtige Entschuldigung dafür.

[Rose]

I read this in English, and the translation wasn't very good. I could tell there was a good story, but many of the important points were muddled.

Je l'ai lu en anglais, et la traduction n'est pas tres bonne. Il y a une bonne histoire, mais quelques parties sont confusées.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish this. Pretentious sounding and rambling. Then they die. Except the one you think was already dead. I should just give up on foreign book prize books.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I am not reading it correctly but it came across as distanced and cool and almost tough for a reader to get into the plot/writing.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

UNFORGIVABLE by Philippe Djian - the third book I read in a relatively short period of time that fits into the category of “books that have thriller-like premises but aren’t actually thrillers,” the others being UNIVERSAL HARVESTER and THE GREAT LEADER. This was, of the three, my favorite, for the very straightforward reason that it had the most interesting characters and even though it subverted itself in terms of not paying off on built up suspense (one of the major “mysteries” of the novel is solved off-screen, as it were, with Djian jumping forward in time to the aftermath of what in a standard thriller would have been the climax) it still was genuinely suspenseful moment-to-moment. Recommended.

[Catheriine · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'hésite toujours à choisir un Philippe Djian, car je ne suis pas d'accord avec son style "sexe, drogue et rock n' roll". Mais malgré l'intensité de ses romans, c'est toujours bien écrit. Celui-ci ne fait pas exception. J'ai tout de suite embarqué dans l'histoire. Le roman ne contient pas de chapitres comme tel, et on se laisse guider par l'auteur, qui nous dévoile petit à petit les parties de son histoire chaotique. C'est tout là cet art de faire confiance au lecteur, de ne pas s'obliger à tout décrire, tout expliquer, et à laisser le lecteur comprendre et faire des liens par lui-même. J'avais peur de m'ennuyer rendu aux trois-quarts du récit, mais la révélation finale fut comme un choc, à l'image de tout le roman.

[Oyku Oztas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time reading one of Philippe Djian’s books. And he never ceases to amaze me. It is as direct as life itself. However there is just one thing that made me a bit cut off from the book; at first the vanishing of Alice seems to be the main deal in the book and then it feels like Djian changed his mind halfway through. Other than that, it is a beautiful harmony of life’s grey zones explained in carefully chosen words. It was a peephole through a wavy french beach. %100 recommend it.

[Laura Pakaln · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been translated from the French, so I haven't a clue if it lost anything in the process, but it's a really good story about relationships, familial and otherwise. A rather finicky writer tries to rebuild his life after the tragic loss of his wife and one of his daughters. There is also a mysterious disappearance of of his other daughter he needs to untangle, and instead of getting better, things get progressively worse for him. The storytelling uses flashbacks and flash-forwards, which made it an even more compelling story

[Mary Bellamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars rounded to four. I often didn't know what was happening in this novel about an author and his relationships with his wife and daughter. The novel is about things people find unforgivable and the kinds of relationships you can have with a person you haven't forgiven. What I loved about the novel was the voice of the (fictional) author and how it differed between when he was talking in his inner monologue and when he was talking to others.

[Aytuğ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The philosophical theory behind this book is existentialism. Main character’s psychological problems which are obsession, lightheartedness etc. effects his all life and his being. I really like the way that writer’s useage of flashbacks. You can still read the main story but it comes with past and this maintains deep emotions comes with philosophical thinking. So I really like it but for me Roger’s story is missing.

[Chet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bien écrit et facile à lire ce livre nous narre l'histoire de Francis, un écrivain qui a perdu sa femme et une de ses filles dans un accident et sa difficulté à en faire le deuil.
Francis a également des rapports conflictuels avec son autre fille et son beau-fils. D'autres personnages viennent alimenter les soucis de Francis.
Une histoire de famille et de pardons, parfois impossible.

[Ludwig Dinkloh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Lieblingsthema von Philippe Djian: schicksalgeprüfter Schriftsteller versucht zu leben und zu schreiben und hat mit dem Leben und den Menschen mehr Probleme als mit den Worten. ich mag seinen Stil und dieses hastige Hin- und Herspringen.

[Micah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quelle intrigue angoissante. La dernière page n'a pas pu arriver plus tôt. J'espérais beaucoup plus du style d'écriture. Il y a eu même au moins une douzaine de "." que les éditeurs ont manqués.

[Evrim Eylem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mütiş çeviri!

[Jeannette Aryee-Boi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my style...but interesting depiction of human interactions

[Pat Chaloux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tout ça pour ça ??...

[Zey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keşke bu kadar iyi yazılmış olmasaydı. Zira yaşlı bir adamın düşüncelerini hislerini okumak korkunç...

[Bookaholic]

Cine ascultă muzica elveţianului Stephan Eicher ar putea fi interesant şi de omul care se află în spatele versurilor în franceză – Philippe Djian, prolific autor francez de origine armeană, câştigând celebritatea odată cu romanul 37°2 le matin, care a şi fost ecranizat de Jean-Jacques Beineix. Printer cele mai recente cărţi ale sale se numără Les Impardonnables (2009), tradus şi la noi anul acesta la Editura Trei, cu titlul Greşeli de neiertat, o dramă de familie, în care relaţiile disfuncţionale, trădările şi chiar cruzimea nu mai lasă loc iertării sau împăcării. Romanul lui Djian răstoarnă clişeul că în familie există întotdeauna un drum al întoarcerii, o mică portiţă ce ne rămîne deschisă indiferent de greşelile pe care le-am comite. Dar atunci cînd greşelile se tot repetă, cînd sînt făcute cu luciditate şi cu conştientizarea totală a răului provocat, atunci sângele… se poate face apă.

Un roman al interiorităţii, Greşeli de neiertat este centrat pe figura scriitorului Francis, încă de succes, în ciuda unei vieţi care nu a fost deloc blândă cu el şi care l-a deturnat adesea de pe traseul creaţiei. Perspectiva naraţiunii îi aparţine în totalitate lui, astfel că avem acces la lumea observată prin prisma unei personalităţi puternice, care primeşte lovituri peste lovituri şi îi sunt permanent puse la încercare răbdarea, puterea de a iubi şi de a se vindeca. (cronică: http://bookaholic.ro/infernala-masina...)

[Ju · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai devore ce livre. Le style est un pur plaisir de lecture, et j'ai beaucoup aime la facon dont l'histoire se deroule a son prore rythme; on ne comprend pas tout des le depart et cela implique qu'on laisse les personnages s'installer, leur psychologie doucement se reveler et, finalement, le recit se met en place. Cette famille deja dechiree connait un nouveau drame qui, loin de souder les liens entre ses membres, la casse au-dela du reparable.
La seule critique que je lui fais, c'est que j'ai trouve que le dernier tiers du livre est trop rapide. Bien sur, la rupture du rythme est liee au developpement de l'histoire, mais j'ai ete legerement decue de passer si vite a la conclusion; je voulais en savoir plus, comment ces changements drastiques ont eu lieu, pourquoi... et en meme temps, l'ellipse parle d'elle-meme. C'est la vie, finalement. Pas toujours logique, pas toujours juste...

[Yves Gounin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Impardonnables sort ce mois ci au cinéma, adpaté par André Téchiné, avec André Dussolier, Carole Bouquet, Mélanie Laurent.
Les critiques sont mitigées : le film ne saurait choisir entre ses différents registres : polar ? comédie de moeurs ? réflexion sur la crise de la cinquantaine et sur l'angoisse de la page blanche chez l'écrivain ?
Le livre a ce défaut là : il tangente différents genres et perd en route le lecteur. On croit pendant cent pages que la disparition d'Alice sera au couer de l'intrigue. Elle réapparaît soudain - sans que jamais on comprenne clairement les motifs de sa disparition.
Et puis il y a le style Djian. On crie au génie ! On dit qu'il a inspirer la nouvelle école française, Virigine Despentes en tête ! J'avoue honteusement n'avoir pas été touché par la grâce djianesque. Nombriliste, prétentieuse, répétitive, sa façon d'écrire m'a plus encore horripilé que l'inconsistance de son histoire

[Alex Goetze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful, subtle, clear - a typical Djian. Decades after "Betty Blue" and "Pas de Trois" still a master of words, wrapping situations and moments into honest journeys. Less rebellion but still a cynic, a connoisseur of life.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

che disastro di famiglia.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to describe; well worth reading.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit flat, too French for me. Nice ending though!