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A review by tonstantweader
A Long Way Off by Books Gallic, Pascal Garnier
3.0
A Long Way Off is a short noir picaresque of sorts from French writer Pascal Garnier. It tells the story of Marc who is married happily enough to Chloe, his second wife. He’s feeling a bit out of sorts with the world and get a cat without really knowing why. Then, he goes to visit his daughter, Anne, who is in an in-patient institution though we don’t know why. She seems smart enough.
In what seems like a mix of mid-life crisis and a belated desire to make up to Anne for his detached and neglectful parenting, he springs her from the institution for a day trip to the shore. This begins their journey through France and the misadventures along with the way.
A Long Way Off is humorous and bizarre. There is quite a bit of violence, but it is inferred, not witnessed by March so not witnessed by the reader. There is something tragically comic in Anne’s blatant contempt for her father and his witless desire to please her even as he’s coming to realize she is doing more than touring France with him. It’s a short book, a mere 124 pages, and Garnier effectively draws us in. However, while it does seem as though Garnier is being delicate by having all the violence out of our sight, he more than makes up for it in a truly disturbing scene near the end. It is disturbing enough I cannot freely recommend this book to anyone. Yes, it’s really good for most of the book, it’s sly, it’s humorous; it sucks you in. But honestly, in the end, I was disappointed.
A Long Way Off will be released on March 26th. I received an ARC of A Long Way Off from the publisher through LibraryThing.
A Long Way Off at Gallic Books | Belgravia Books
Pascal Garnier author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/a-long-way-off-by-pascal-garnier/
In what seems like a mix of mid-life crisis and a belated desire to make up to Anne for his detached and neglectful parenting, he springs her from the institution for a day trip to the shore. This begins their journey through France and the misadventures along with the way.
A Long Way Off is humorous and bizarre. There is quite a bit of violence, but it is inferred, not witnessed by March so not witnessed by the reader. There is something tragically comic in Anne’s blatant contempt for her father and his witless desire to please her even as he’s coming to realize she is doing more than touring France with him. It’s a short book, a mere 124 pages, and Garnier effectively draws us in. However, while it does seem as though Garnier is being delicate by having all the violence out of our sight, he more than makes up for it in a truly disturbing scene near the end. It is disturbing enough I cannot freely recommend this book to anyone. Yes, it’s really good for most of the book, it’s sly, it’s humorous; it sucks you in. But honestly, in the end, I was disappointed.
A Long Way Off will be released on March 26th. I received an ARC of A Long Way Off from the publisher through LibraryThing.
A Long Way Off at Gallic Books | Belgravia Books
Pascal Garnier author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/a-long-way-off-by-pascal-garnier/