I am a very unfaithful reader. I may start several books at the same time, and leave them one after another, for months, fascinated by a new author or title. I rarely do not finish books, but it may take one year to finish a book sometimes. As I am taking careful - written - notes and thanks to my good memory, I keep the track of the ideas and observations, but still, my unfaithfulness is there. Until I really meet books and authors that consume my curiosity and time beyond my limited attention span.
This time, it was Laurent Mauvignier´s Histoires de la Nuit. My previous book by Mauvignier, Des Hommes was inviting, but still didn´t request exclusivity in terms of reading time. Histoires...though, absorbed my attention and time beyond my spiritual powers. For four days, I was devouring the book in my early hours before starting my hectic days, while commuting and while using my last active neurons before going to sleep. I breath and eat and dream this book.
The book is a bit over 600 pages, with sentences that build up as colours may fill the void of a painting. I´ve read the book in the original French - an English edition is supposed to be published at the beginning of 2023 by Fitzcarraldo Editions, translated by Daniel Levin Becker and I am really interested to have a look at the translation as well - and again, was grateful for the priviledge of having this language as my 2nd mother tongue - with the accent on the mother part.
The reading of this book made me acknowledge something about my reading habits: a story that has a beautiful writing and an appealing story guarantees my full attention. The writing of Histoires de la Nuit is dense - almost page-long sentences - reproducing the thinking flow when it has to re-enacht thoughts, but short and alert when displaying a succession of facts.
The story itself is a carefully built thriller: in a remote quiet French hamlet, the predictable life of a young family is turned upside down when three unknown men unexpectedly land at the door on the 40st birthday of Marion. The guys are not unknown for Marion, whose past suddenly seems to endanger everyone who happens to arrive to their house. The ambiance is built long before, with symbolic suggestions spread from the very beginning of the book. It is an exercise in attention and dedication required from the reader.
This year, I started by getting to know the fantastic writings of Annie Ernaux, and ended by the discovery of Mauvignier. I still have some reading to be done until the next of the year therefore I avoid doing any final countdown. However, I am grateful for having so many extraordinary literary discoveries in the last 12 months and I am looking hopeful for the next 12 months of intensive reading and writing.
Rating: 5 stars
Disclaimer: I was offered an English version of the book in exchange of my honest review but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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