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A review by manwithanagenda
The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Loursat has been satisfied for the past 18 years with waking up well into day, pulling a few more bottles of wine up from the basement, walking around one block, eating a silent dinner with his 20 year old daughter and going back up to his warm study to read and drink until he feels he can sleep again. His is a member of one of the most respectable families in Moulins, he has money, and was gifted in his profession as a lawyer. He had always been studious and reclusive, so when his wife left him alone with his daughter for another man he was content to withdraw and treat every day the same.
One night something different happens and he must leave his study. On investigating, he discovers his daughter is at the center of a gang of young men and engaged in behavior shocking to the prewar town. When his daughter's boyfriend is accused of the crime Loursat, inexplicably drawn in, announces he will defend the boy in court.
'The Strangers in the House' is in part about the court case and the unraveling of the mystery of the Boxing Bar Gang, but it is more about the possibility of redemption for this lonely man and the chances he still has to come back to the world he thought he was too good for.
I haven't read much French literature, but there is a common thread between Simenon and his contemporaries Camus and Marguerite Duras. I feel like the images of 20th century French culture I have: the black and white films, the meaningful glances between strangers, and the damp rain sizzling on street lamps can't be everything; and yet, it is all I see. When I picked up Michel Houellebecq's 'The Map and the Territory' it was enthralling, but downright broody. So far, I'm OK with this since it is all done with such perfection, but there has been sunlight in France this past century right?
One night something different happens and he must leave his study. On investigating, he discovers his daughter is at the center of a gang of young men and engaged in behavior shocking to the prewar town. When his daughter's boyfriend is accused of the crime Loursat, inexplicably drawn in, announces he will defend the boy in court.
'The Strangers in the House' is in part about the court case and the unraveling of the mystery of the Boxing Bar Gang, but it is more about the possibility of redemption for this lonely man and the chances he still has to come back to the world he thought he was too good for.
I haven't read much French literature, but there is a common thread between Simenon and his contemporaries Camus and Marguerite Duras. I feel like the images of 20th century French culture I have: the black and white films, the meaningful glances between strangers, and the damp rain sizzling on street lamps can't be everything; and yet, it is all I see. When I picked up Michel Houellebecq's 'The Map and the Territory' it was enthralling, but downright broody. So far, I'm OK with this since it is all done with such perfection, but there has been sunlight in France this past century right?