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A review by amkclaes
Le Jour de Congé by Inès Cagnati
3.75
Read in French
Enjoyable read. Surprisingly dark- shocking gruesome events are told with almost an aloof tone, sometimes I'd have to read it over again. Galla reminded me so very much of myself at that age. Cagnati hits perfectly that tone of darkness laced with naivete and so much melodrama and frankness that it becomes humorous yet pitiable, often found in kids forced to grow up too fast and take on adult emotional (and other) responsibilities at a young age
I loved the setting of the book, a little escape to the countryside. And I loved the idea of being tainted by your context, of having your fate be decided by the aesthetics of your surroundings, the exploration of the idea of fate and misfortune and the aesthetics of class differences. I also found the way that family dynamics were explored to be interesting, as we hardly even meet the parents and so only have Galla's anecdotes and emotional storytelling to know them by. Overall we are very confined to Galla's inner life which corresponds to her isolation.
At times the short stoppy prose was tedious, but we are in the mind of a 14 year old, so I accept it.
recommend overall
Enjoyable read. Surprisingly dark- shocking gruesome events are told with almost an aloof tone, sometimes I'd have to read it over again. Galla reminded me so very much of myself at that age. Cagnati hits perfectly that tone of darkness laced with naivete and so much melodrama and frankness that it becomes humorous yet pitiable, often found in kids forced to grow up too fast and take on adult emotional (and other) responsibilities at a young age
I loved the setting of the book, a little escape to the countryside. And I loved the idea of being tainted by your context, of having your fate be decided by the aesthetics of your surroundings, the exploration of the idea of fate and misfortune and the aesthetics of class differences. I also found the way that family dynamics were explored to be interesting, as we hardly even meet the parents and so only have Galla's anecdotes and emotional storytelling to know them by. Overall we are very confined to Galla's inner life which corresponds to her isolation.
At times the short stoppy prose was tedious, but we are in the mind of a 14 year old, so I accept it.
recommend overall