Hi,
As you might know, 2014 literature Nobel Prize has been awarded to Patrick Modiano for his book “Pour que tu ne perdes pas dans le quartier” (that I would translate with “So you don’t get lost in the neighbourhood”). As I read in this article, the English translation of this book will be released next summer.
It was the first book I read of this author and I have to admit that the Nobel Prize banner at the bookshop attracted me to buy the book. I didn’t read any reviews so I didn’t know what to expect in terms of plot and style.
The story starts when 2 characters enter the life of an lonely writer of a certain age (the main character). As the story progress, the protagonist will embank on a journey of his (unhappy) childhood memories.
The book is easy to read and is only 145 pages. I really liked the writing as it includes lots of descriptions and you really can picture yourself the atmosphere of Paris as it was some decades ago.
The author has been compared to Marcel Proust – in the way it manages to take the reader with him in his memories.
The construction of the story can be a little unusual: some characters are mentioned and then left aside in the rest of the story, and I finished the book with some questions unanswered.
I will probably read this book again just to feel the atmosphere and enjoy the particular writing style of the author.
A cooking Frog 