Reviews

How's the Pain? by Pascal Garnier

voygos's review against another edition

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5.0

One of my favourite books, simply amazing.

debumere's review against another edition

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5.0

Pascal Garnier has shot way up to the top of my list. He resides in X place!

What a great book! I've read three of his books now and they just get better.

It's a story about two strangers on a mission together but with different expectations, cute, simple, honest Bernard and Hitman Simon.

Won't say anything else but one of my favourite sentences was: 'The moon grinned down on him as he built up his little Lego bricks of hope.'

Squee!

beckybb0's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'm exposed to one of the best of noir through this book. 

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rhirhireader's review against another edition

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3.0

You know those oddballs you always spot in every town? The lurkers on the edge, looking lost and a little as if they know something you don't? These are the type of people Pascal Garnier seems to write about. And I love it! His characters are most bazaar. Here we get to meet young Bernard, (an egde of town lurker)he's got a hard life, looking after his drunk mother who lives in a shop! One ordinary day, Bernard meets a very strange old man. The old man offers Bernard an adventure he can't really refuse. So the two set off on a two day journey that will change Bernards' life upside down for the better. For me this story was mostly about a relationship between people who were similar but at different times in their lives. It was about the darkness that embarks our minds when we feel like we are nothing in society. I really enjoyed it, the witty blunt narrative is something very fresh and I haven't come across any other author who writes this way. Thank you to @gallicbooks for #gifting me this book

msdixon's review against another edition

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2.0

Meh.

boomt's review against another edition

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4.0

Le livre commence avec un énigme. Simon Marechelle, un vieil homme, se pend avec l'aide de Bernard Ferrand. Le reste du livre se déroule comme un flash-back. Simon et Bernard se rencontrent par hasard quelques jours plus tôt sur un banc au parc. Simon semble être un homme d'affaires qui passe en ville. Bernard est un jeune homme qui rend visite à sa mère, propriétaire d'un magasin minable. Bernard fait des travaux divers sans ambition sauf qu'il gagne assez d'argent pour ne pas avoir besoin de travailler. Après quelques rencontres, Simon l'engage comme chauffeur pour un travail. Sur la route Bernard découvre que Simon est un assassin professionnel qui fait son dernier contrat. Ils rencontrent trois autres personages, une jeune mère célibataire avec son bébé et une taxidermiste retraitée.

Simon souffre d'une maladie inconnue qui lui fait mal et le rend insomniaque. Elle est autant une maladie d'esprit que de corps car il est dans le fond méfiant et méchant. Lorsque l'état de santé de Simon se détériore, Bernard trouve une raison de vivre dans l'amour. Mais Bernard reste naïf et il se sent tenu par honneur de rester avec Simon.

Comment va la douleur est un roman de route bien écrit. Garnier décrit des personages imparfaits qui luttent pour améliorer leur sort et pour établir des rapports avec les autres.
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