Laurent Mauvignier is one of my favorite contemporary French writers right now. Elaborated human stories with a fine observation of interaction and secrecy intrecacies, his books are one of the most beautiful gifts for a reader: they open windows to souls and minds through mysterious interactions and half-truths.
Seuls - Lonely Ones (the translations into English is mine) - features four lonely destinies - Tony - a wannabe writer who gave up his literary studies, gaining his living from a menial job - and Pauline - currently unemployed, hosted by Tony, in a clumsy love with her. Tony is estranged from his father, another lonely character. In the belly of the city, they live one of the many lonely anonymous existences, emptied by dreams.
As in other books by Mauvignier, the characters may simply co-exist in their solitude, with no deep connection, although sometimes passively desired. But in Seuls, the loneliness is unbearable and breath through every sentence of the book - even Tony´s cat is called Ascète.
Literarily, the author plays a bit with our attention, with a switch between the persons telling the story, intervening either on the first or the third person.
I am looking forward to reading more novels by Mauvignier, as each of the books I´ve read before, although written in almost the same literary cursivity, they do approach different topics and fragments of humanity.
Rating: 4 stars
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