Rever by Franck Thilliez
2017; American Association of Teachers of French; Volume: 90; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/tfr.2017.0282
ISSN2329-7131
Autores Tópico(s)Cultural Insights and Digital Impacts
ResumoReviews 285 unknown, familiar spaces and “les étendues / vierges” (248), ably blending together “une liturgie”(199) and a distilled“fable de couleur”(221) born of history and human finitude. Noted for visceral, impelling creativity, she can be seen to deconstruct form and the poetic gaze, yet at the same time to be always rebuilding: “que soit célébrée la soif”(241). She is a major voice who continues to craft a singular, ever-renewed oeuvre with intelligence and grace. Southwestern University (TX) Aaron Prevots Thilliez, Franck. Rever. Paris: Fleuve, 2016. ISBN 978-2-26511558-3. Pp. 596. 22 a. The intentionally palindromic title (it eliminates the circumflex in the verb) invites the reader into a game of mirrors that explores the link between dreams and identity. Protagonist Abigaël Durnan, or Tsé-Tsé as her colleagues affectionately call her, is a single mother and a psychological profiler living in Lille. She faces an unusual problem: the severe narcolepsy, hypnagogic visions, and cataplexy that have plagued her since childhood can only be held in check through careful dosing of a powerful medication that is eating away at her long-term memory. The painful self-awareness and instability brought about by her illness are compounded by unanswered questions when she faces a local crisis and personal tragedy.Working with the local police,Abigaël’s profiling of the machinations of Freddy (nicknamed after Nightmare on Elmstreet’s Freddy Krueger), who kidnaps children and leaves scarecrow representations of them in abandoned fields and forests, comes to implicate her professionally and also personally. As Abigaël doggedly explores the circumstances surrounding a traumatic accident which she inexplicably survives, family secrets surface along with disturbing links between the incident and the police investigation. Her six-month investigation instigated by this devastating car accident reaches its pinnacle when Abigaël finds herself in an abandoned coal-washing facility, surrounded by flames, unable to determine whether this is reality or a waking dream. The novel’s chapters are not organized chronologically and, significantly, one chapter is missing altogether, mirroring Abigaël’s confusion about events between the two pivotal dates. The reader shares Abigaël’s challenge in determining which events and clues are authentic among the false associations, vivid dreams, and the chronological disorder fabricated by her mind. Cleverly-inserted extra-textual references, both authentic and invented, receive new significance in a world akin to classic horror and action-thriller films, such as Inception and The Birds, as well as Maupassant’s Le horla. Rever further blurs distinctions between the imaginary and the experienced by extending the literary game beyond the confines of the print novel into the reader’s world. By locating a code within the novel the reader can unlock the missing chapter in virtual form, access a chronologicallyreordered chapter list and scientific information on sleep, and contribute to a poll on sleep and dreams with others who have come to the site. The novel is a powerful one. The unreliable protagonist’s perspective and the criminal’s enigmatic motivations are smoothly interwoven in the thriller’s driving plotline whose challenging structure invites reflection on the paradoxical nature of sleep. On the one hand, the novel scientifically demonstrates the human need for sleep and dreams. On the other hand, it invokes the network of superstitions that spring from humanity’s recognition of its fragility when faced with this biological need.A rejuvenation of body and mind, sleep transforms virtual and lived experiences to individual memories, but also leaves the dreamer powerless and vulnerable to being manipulated by others. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Nathalie G. Cornelius Treese, Élie. L’ombre couvre leurs yeux. Paris: Payot, 2016. ISBN 978-2-7436-3620-3. Pp. 191. 18 a. Ce titre fait allusion à la mort d’Hector dans l’Iliade. Treese le modifie cependant pour permettre d’inclure plusieurs possesseurs. De fait, le récit explore les faiblesses humaines à travers le regard de nombreux personnages en lutte contre leur destin. Les yeux sont partout: “étranges” (15), “comme des lanternes” (66), “sur le point de leur sortir des orbites” (107), “emplis de gratitude” (120), “suppliants” (173), “effarés”, “horrifiés”(60),“rivés”,“attentifs”,“ouverts”et parfois...
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