Reading 1001 discussion

Rating: 4 stars


This is a surrealist and existentialist novel that actually has a strong, easy to follow plot. It is a love story set in Paris. It starts on a light-hearted note, but becomes more serious as the novel progresses. It is infused with lots of puns, poetic language, and word play.

I found the characters very likeable and the storyline engaging. There are some odd fantastical elements (well, it is surrealism, after all), but the story is still very readable. I don't want to give too many details as it would be easy to give away the plot.

Note, this book has more than one English-language title. Alternate titles include Mood Indigo and Foam of the Daze. There are also English-language editions that use the original French title, L'Écume des jours. I had difficulty finding a copy until I learned about the alternate titles.

I also gave this one 4 stars, the surrealist elements fit seamlessly into the more human story here, and it feels so languid and perfectly reminiscent of the Jazz movement.

One of the main plot threads concerns newlyweds Colin and Chloe, the latter of whom develops a bizarre chronic illness where she needs to be surrounded by flower bouquets to live. This understandably drains Colin's financial reserves and makes it difficult to keep Chloe alive. I thought this part was brilliant, especially reading as someone with a chronic illness/disability. The flowers stand in for what I call the "Crip Tax" : all of the extra expenses that build up on top of trying to live while ill/disabled (whether that is medications, treatments, assistive devices, constant meal replacement drinks, the junk fees on ordered food when you can't cook for yourself, taxis for places you can't walk or drive yourself etc). Vian suffered from a heart conditions for most of his life, and the writing really does come across as from someone that understands.

Another character ages years within a week when Chloe becomes ill, which figuratively does often happen in situations of caregiving or difficult patches of life in general. All of the surrealist elements very astutely served the book's themes throughout.