L'Elégant by Barthelemy Desplats

 L'Elégant by Barthelemy

Desplats is a new novel, and the first book by this more than promising author. It's the perfect for this summer-time! It is published by Grasset. 

Let's start from the title. 

Why L'Elegant? 

The father of Antoine, the protagonist of this story was called l'Elégant because of his pullovers of cashmere, his beloved cigars and whiskeys, his love for golf and the luxury life he enjoyed. He had a great business in Congo and became incredibly rich: unfortunately internal wars and disorder drastically reduced the activity of Antoine's father. He returned home with the entire family but never loved, completely loved the existence spent in France, although, of course, it wasn't a miserable one.

This holiday with Antoine, his son is a habit: every year they spend some time together but this last holiday will be the most precious one , the most important one of their existence. Substantially they leave Biarritz for later affording in Spain and Portugal. And, the trip will present to them buried memories of Antoine and his conflictual relationship with his father. It is not just a physical trip the one attended by the two family-members: it is a trip in the memories, force ample, for Antoine. He will clarify the suffering aspects of his relationship directly with his father opening his heart.

A father, remembers Antoine not there for him when he needed him, when little, and once he divorced from his mother, more absent as well. A father who preferred his brother to him; or a substance, alcohol for forgetting his failures. Sometimes Antoine's friends were surprised that this one was his father.  Antoine returns with his memory to the holidays spent with his brother and sister, the swimming pool where they loved to spend a lot of time.

The story is spent mainly in restaurants, locations of these two exotic countries, describing stunning scenarios, delicious food, yum! and various kind of wine and other typical beverages. People met along the way are weird, or interesting as fir example the merchant of drug...

In the while, if his father is in love for golf, at the moment has a companion more young than him of 20 years who works at the Nissan, that's why he is driving a Nissan Micra, Antoine enjoys surf. 

The father of Antoine enjoys to seeing his son having some fun although Antoine understands soon that his father, no, this time is not OK. 

There is a moment in our existence where what remains of our dear ones are memories, souvenirs, beauty moments spent all together and remembered with joy.

It's a trip this one made of confessions, open dialogues, human fragilities, that put us in confrontation with the existence, the end of it, and the perennial show that must goes on thanks to the extensions left by parents, represented by children.

Highly recommended. 

I thank Grasset for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori