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A review by natyweiss
People Like Them by Samira Sedira
5.0
Set in the French Alpine village of Carmac, this thriller grips you since the first page. The ambiance is so beautifully described, being the town and its landscape a character itself.
Carmac seems to be a peaceful place. One day, the Langlois, a new and very wealthy family (husband, wife, and kids), arrives. They build a stunning chalet with impressive views. The Langlois seem to have it all. They make friends in Carmac but are they really welcome by everyone in the village?
In this bucolic environment, one evening, the worst and the unthinkable occurred: the Langlois are massacred in their own house by Constant, neighbor, and friend.
The story's narrator is Anna, who tells us the story in the second person while talking to Constant, his husband. That's what makes this story so different from others of the genre. The tone is more intimate, more confessional than descriptive.
The reader has an account of the protagonist's feelings and, through fragments of the prosecution, of the facts too.
The book is based on a true story, and maybe that's why it reminded me so much of Emmanuel Carrere's books in the way the storyline unspools.
It's a quick read and very thought-provoking. In a very subtle way, it speaks about racism, assigned roles in society and also is about how humans are capable of monstrous acts as a means to restore order.
I want to mention Lara Vergnaud, who translated this excellent book from French. She did an outstanding job.
Carmac seems to be a peaceful place. One day, the Langlois, a new and very wealthy family (husband, wife, and kids), arrives. They build a stunning chalet with impressive views. The Langlois seem to have it all. They make friends in Carmac but are they really welcome by everyone in the village?
In this bucolic environment, one evening, the worst and the unthinkable occurred: the Langlois are massacred in their own house by Constant, neighbor, and friend.
The story's narrator is Anna, who tells us the story in the second person while talking to Constant, his husband. That's what makes this story so different from others of the genre. The tone is more intimate, more confessional than descriptive.
The reader has an account of the protagonist's feelings and, through fragments of the prosecution, of the facts too.
The book is based on a true story, and maybe that's why it reminded me so much of Emmanuel Carrere's books in the way the storyline unspools.
It's a quick read and very thought-provoking. In a very subtle way, it speaks about racism, assigned roles in society and also is about how humans are capable of monstrous acts as a means to restore order.
I want to mention Lara Vergnaud, who translated this excellent book from French. She did an outstanding job.