Elea’s Picks: Body, Body, Body
The following three recommendations invite us to reflect on the question of the body through three different perspectives. In In the Absence of Men, the body becomes the language of desire and love, a reflection of the fragility of emotions. All Flesh traps us within the flesh and compels us to question its limits, while also leading us to reflect on what defines our humanity. Finally, City of Rats plays with the image of the body by blurring the boundaries between humans and rats, using this juxtaposition to question identity and cast a satirical eye on our society.
Reading List
In the Absence of Men is a book about love and identity, but also about the impact of war.
Vincent is a young man living in Paris during the First World War. He falls in love with a soldier on leave named Arthur, with whom he spends each night. During the day, Vincent fosters an unexpected friendship with a man who everyone knows as Marcel Proust. These two types of relationships have one thing in common: need and desire for human connection.
Besson’s writing is captivating but also emotional without feeling exaggerated. This book is perfect if you’re looking for a text with deep meaning, written in a poetic style that creates a deeply reflective atmosphere and stays with you long after you finish it.
All Flesh is a book that tells the story of a young girl whose father leads her to believe that she had a twin sister who died in the womb. In his state of obsession and idolization of his daughter and the idea of her dead twin, he showers her with double the affection and feeds her double the food, overfeeding her until his love literally begins to weigh her down.
You’re going to love this book if you’re looking for a cynical story about the relationship between a father and his daughter, in which you never know whether the characters are entirely sane or not.
City of Rats tells the story of Gouri, a rat who befriends a man and decides to write to him to share all the outrageous adventures that he and his best friend Raka have had while the man was away.
Gouri takes us deep into his life, introducing us to an entirely new world and the civilization in which he lives. A world where a queen and her daughters rule the people with an iron fist.
You’ll enjoy this book if you’re looking for something completely out of the ordinary and delightfully twisted. Welcome to the Paris of rats!
The book is currently out of print in French, but a renewed interest in the English translation might help encourage a republication!
