Les sens interdits

We follow the letters addressed between two women: Xanthie, a woman in Paris, and her friend (no name) who is traveling to the Island of Fuerteventura. Their letters are part travel guide, part exploration of the nature of love. We sense love, admiration and a deep sense of trust in their letters, and one may wonder what might spark from there...

No Name has been traveling to the island for years, and considers it her secret paradise, the place that makes her feel the most at home. In comparison, Xanthie is solidly rooted in Paris, and enjoys traveling through the eyes of her friend.

Then, the structure of the book takes a radical turn. No Name sends to Xanthie a love letter about her ex-girlfriend, and starts rambling for 30 pages about all the great things she loved about her ex, all that she offered her, how obsessive she was about her, and if only her ex would have let her love her in a certain way... There is no introspection on what No Name did wrong or could have done better, no sense that she is actually writing to Xanthie, no feeling of an actual conversation. And the book ends after this long monologue, with no output or answer from Xanthie.

To me, the pain point of the book is the writing. The sentences are full of ‘science facts' and quotes from classic authors, and they break the flow of the narration. We start with a sensual description and end up with science facts about elephants according to Aristotle. It happens so often throughout the book that it takes from the experience of reading the book.

“Je la regarde chaque soir avant de m'endormir m'extasiant inlassablement sur sa beaute et je pense a elle, qui aime tant cet animal dont la structure sociale matriarcale represente la sagesse et dont l'intelligence et l'esprit depassent ceux de tous les autres animaux selon Aristote.”

In the end, I think that the book would have benefited from a serious cut to remove the ‘extra scientific facts', a clear decision to make it a monologue or an epistolary book, and an extra pair of eyes concerning the grammar and the overall flow of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and l'Editions for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2019-12-03