This new novel by Éric Reinhardt recalls in certain respects his great success, Love and forestssince the French writer once again probes the existential questions of a woman in her role as mother and wife, as well as her relationship with her readers.
It is in his form, however, that we are entitled to a pleasant surprise, a particularity which has also earned him a selection in the second list of the Goncourt prize, revealed this week.
The Sarah of the title is 44 years old; in remission from cancer, she decided to abandon her career to devote herself to art. While she breathes new life into her aspirations, her husband begins to spend all his evenings in his office, leaving her alone with their children. At the same time, she discovers that she is not equal owner of the family home, which she experiences as a betrayal after more than 20 years of marriage.
When she asks him to remedy these two situations, she is met with his indifference and is forced to subject him to “electric shock”, the only solution according to her to force him to react – or leave for a while. But nothing happens as she expected.
Faced with the silence of her husband, abandoned by her children, she begins to fracture internally, until everything goes wrong.
It was after this series of setbacks that Sarah, completely overwhelmed by the turn her life had taken, decided to contact a writer to tell him about the events that led to her collapse. In this way, she told herself, her torments could at least serve to nourish a work.
While we discover the circumstances of his fall, the writer tells him in parallel the story he learned from it – that of Susanne. A woman who is in a way Sarah’s double since her life follows the same trajectory, however with many variations so that no one can recognize her. We therefore find ourselves following, alternately, two stories which maintain a captivating double suspense around the unfortunate fate of Sarah and Susanne.
Although the novel starts quite slowly, we get caught up in this skillfully constructed puzzle which provokes numerous reflections on the paths we choose to take. Sarah, Susanne and the writer is a portrait of a woman full of compassion, and a journey into the imagination and sensitivity of the writer which will not fail to seduce.
Sarah, Susanne and the writer
Gallimard
432 pages