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A review by gxcons
Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
A brief possibly autobiographical account of a passionate love affair with a married man.
There are very few details here, on the initial encounter and subsequent meetings or on the man himself. The purpose of the writing is to recount the various feelings the author/narrator felt during this obsession, and I do think obsession is the most accurate word here. The detached way in which the whole thing is written was a fun contrast given the subject matter but also made it hard to connect at times, especially given the lack of other information. The best part for me was the musing on the purpose of this piece and how the process of writing plays into memory and keeping the past in motion.
I thought the translation was well done; there was no point where I thought the wording was clunky or intent was unclear.
While this does bring up interesting topics such as unbalanced relationships, obsession, escape, memory, the purpose of writing, and how an audience interacts with your writing, I don't know that the book really made an impression on me. I would recommend for someone who wants to start reading more from this author (my interest was piqued) or is familiar with or currently in the throes of such an obsessive, possibly one-sided relationship.
3.75 stars rounded up
There are very few details here, on the initial encounter and subsequent meetings or on the man himself. The purpose of the writing is to recount the various feelings the author/narrator felt during this obsession, and I do think obsession is the most accurate word here. The detached way in which the whole thing is written was a fun contrast given the subject matter but also made it hard to connect at times, especially given the lack of other information. The best part for me was the musing on the purpose of this piece and how the process of writing plays into memory and keeping the past in motion.
I thought the translation was well done; there was no point where I thought the wording was clunky or intent was unclear.
While this does bring up interesting topics such as unbalanced relationships, obsession, escape, memory, the purpose of writing, and how an audience interacts with your writing, I don't know that the book really made an impression on me. I would recommend for someone who wants to start reading more from this author (my interest was piqued) or is familiar with or currently in the throes of such an obsessive, possibly one-sided relationship.
3.75 stars rounded up