Book Review: Journal d’Hirondelle by: Amélie Nothomb

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Amelie Nothomb, Book, Book Review, books, Fiction, French, French literature, Journal d'Hirondelle, novel, review

Une histoire d’amour dont les épisodes ont été mélangés par un fou” – Journal d’Hirondelle, Amélie Nothomb.

“A love story where the events were distorted by a lunatic” – Journal d’Hirondelle, Amélie Nothomb (unofficial translation)

Initial Thoughts: Last year, I went to a book sale hosted by a local library. Even though I had plenty of books, and summer was coming to an end, I really wanted to buy as many novels in French as a could. I figured that reading more in French would help me improve my written skills. Meanwhile, at the book fair, I stumbled upon Journal d’Hirondelle by: Amélie Nothomb. I had already been assigned to read Antechrista by: Amélie Nothomb for one of my French courses, and I decided to give it a try.

Summary

After being in a relationship that ended in a bitter heartbreak, a young man has lost all senses of reality. He becomes completely isolated from all sensations of pain and joy. In order to feel again, he decides to become an assassin. One day, after being assigned to assassinate a minister and his family, the man finds the journal of one of his victims. The journal stirs emotions inside him that he believed to be dead. After everything he has done, could he ever find redemption?

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Book Review: Acide Sulfurique (Sulphuric Acid) by: Amélie Nothomb

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Acide Sulfurique, Amelie Nothomb, Book, Book Review, Dystopian, French literature, novel, Reality Television, review, Sulphuric Acid

The time came when the suffering of others was not enough for them; they needed the spectacle of it too” –Acide Sulfurique (Sulphuric Acid) – Amélie Nothomb

Initial thoughts: Isn’t it exciting to dive into a novel of which you know nothing about save for its title, author and cover image? When I picked up Acide Sulfurique (translated: Sulphuric Acid) from the sparsely filled shelves of the French section of my local library, I was struck by the cover image. The cover image features a butterfly that flew into a glass and broke its wing. I cannot say why I am so intrigued by this cover image. Perhaps it is because it is unusual and unlikely, almost surreal. There is something unsettling about this image. And yet, in such a calamity, a disturbing image can become beautiful.

Acide sulfurique by Amélie Nothomb

Plot Summary

Some time in the future, audiences have tired of traditional reality television shows. One channel decides to try something new and ‘Concentration’ – the reality television death camp – is born.

Participants for the show are rounded up and loaded onto cattle trucks, among them the beautiful young woman Pannonique. When Pannonique is delivered to the death camp and the cameras are turned on, she unknowingly becomes a media star, but she soon understands that her situation is all too real . . .

A huge bestseller in Nothomb’s adopted France, Sulphuric Acid is a blackly funny, shocking and provocative satire on our modern obsession with reality television and celebrity.

 

The Review

One day, out of nowhere, the lovely Pannonique is pulled of the streets at random and lands a role as a participant on a new reality television show called “Concentration.” In this camp, participants are prisoners subjected to torture, dehumanization and even… death at random, all in the name of entertainment. Pannonique is stripped of her identity, including her name, and she is reborn as CKZ 114. One of the guards of “Concentration,” Zdena, is desperate to uncover CKZ 114’s real name, and discover the thoughts behind her expressionless demeanour. Meanwhile, spectators are disgusted by this new television show. But… they can’t stop watching.

Book Review: Ni d’Ève ni d’Adam (Tokyo Fiancée) by: Amélie Nothomb

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Amelie Nothomb, Book, Book Review, books, French, French literature, japan, Ni d'Eve ni d'Adam, novel, Novel Review, review, Tokyo Fiancee

Language is accurate: you run for your life. If you are dying, leave. If you are suffering, move. There is no other law, only movement” – Ni d’Ève ni d’Adam (Tokyo Fiancée), Amélie Nothomb

First Impression: This book was part of my spring-summer reading list of 2017, which you can view here if interested. I already knew a little bit of the plotline before I began the novel after hearing a presentation about it during one of my French classes. Unfortunately for me, I was given quite a few spoiler alerts, but this didn’t detract from the enjoyment I received from reading this charming and bizarre love story. There is an English translated version called Tokyo Fiancée, but I decided to read the novel in French and write a review in English.

Plot Summary

Twenty-one-year-old Amelie adores Japanese culture, and longs to relive the joys of her childhood in Japan. When Amelie decides to move from her native country of Belgium to the sprawling city of Tokyo to become a French language teacher, little did she know that she would find romance. Amelie’s heart is captured by Rinri, her shy, charming, and rich Japanese student. But can a relationship between two people from two different worlds last?