A triangle relationship with an uncertain geometry, a furious quest for a hidden art collection, a mysterious presence and disappearance of a photography and its negatives. La blonde et le bunker by French author and translator Jakuta Alikavazovic is intriguing, multi-textual and playful, as it involves at times the reader him/herself in the story.
The story has the visual precision of a photographic alternance of gros plans: Anna, a mysterious cold-blooded blonde woman brought her lover Gray - an American injured in an accident - to live with her in a bunker, her home. At the ground level lives her soon to be ex husband, John Volstead, also American, an erudite, the author of one famous book. In Anna´s absence, the two of them are trying together to put some order into John´s extensive library.
For John, Anna is an obsession, but an obsession stuck in time, as the photography of her testimony. Gray is in love with her, hardly able to figure out the variations of her moods and the lack of the expected emotional involvement on her behalf. While John simplified and reduced her to an image, Gray is seeing her through their interactions and everyday moves, as long as she allows him to see and meet her.
The search for Castiglioni collection through is trying to actively involve the reader as well, and balances rationally the relatively highly emotional encounters of the love triangle. The author however, has a complete control over the narrative brought together by a beautiful writing that sometimes makes forget the irrascible nature of the characters.
I am definitely interested in reading more by Alikavazovic, as I´ve already checked some other titles and topics she wrote about. La blonde et le bunker counts as one of those important literary meetings of the year.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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