sarratbb's review
2.0
okay so. why two stars. I would have loved the story if this had not justified emotional incest and pedophilia as well as being a "bad" boy. it was romantic if I could ignore those "details". I couldn't. Because it was justified every now and then and it ended in this way where it seems to me like it's telling me I should accept it? Very sad because I thought it was very well written, I loved the style, got attached to the characters and now.. I just don't know what to think. Had it been bad from a to z it would've been a straight 1 or a dnf, but the writing was enjoyable.
So this is the story of a guy, ppl call him "boy", he is 26 and the uncle of a 12 yo girl named Hildegarde. She is one of the two narrators, the other one being Suzon, 25 yo domestic of Boy's family. The story is set in 1937 France (the novel was written in 1973 and don't try to justify the themes). Hildegarde has a crush on Boy (first issue but of well she is a young girl and he is being nice), well but he also flirts with her?? His behaviour with his child niece is really questionable, he never abused her (or did he?) but his behaviour and his words (like repeating you're the love of my life, you're my wife blabla, taking her to a casino at night and forgetting about her in the car, her carressing his hair, him driving with her sitting on his lap and they were alone in the car, just -). Suzon is Boy's first love? at least he is hers. He comes back every year from the US and has sex with her and tells her she's his whatever but he fucks around all year? then acts jealous when she meets a nice guy (love triangle ffs). Pierre (the nice guy) ends up proposing to Suzon, and she accepts. Boy gets mad when she tells him (they are outside together at this point) and he slaps her????? and insults her ("Salope") I- then he runs after her and she's like "yeah fine I like you we're getting married just bring me back home" typa vibe, and they get in a car crash and he dies (RIP but not really). Suzon lives and doesn't marry Pierre. Hildegarde is depressed. the end.
In the end there is a chapter like two years later and another domestic basically tells us all about it and she's like well Hildegarde loved Boy it's okay it's normal they were like implicitly engaged and he treated her like a woman it made her beautiful? HUH? she was 11/12 what are you talking about lady
anyway, meh and I 'm pissed because I liked some passages at the beginning and it was funny and sweet sometimes and I liked the writing but this shit - and it's romanticized?! I can't
So this is the story of a guy, ppl call him "boy", he is 26 and the uncle of a 12 yo girl named Hildegarde. She is one of the two narrators, the other one being Suzon, 25 yo domestic of Boy's family. The story is set in 1937 France (the novel was written in 1973 and don't try to justify the themes). Hildegarde has a crush on Boy (first issue but of well she is a young girl and he is being nice), well but he also flirts with her?? His behaviour with his child niece is really questionable, he never abused her (or did he?) but his behaviour and his words (like repeating you're the love of my life, you're my wife blabla, taking her to a casino at night and forgetting about her in the car, her carressing his hair, him driving with her sitting on his lap and they were alone in the car, just -). Suzon is Boy's first love? at least he is hers. He comes back every year from the US and has sex with her and tells her she's his whatever but he fucks around all year? then acts jealous when she meets a nice guy (love triangle ffs). Pierre (the nice guy) ends up proposing to Suzon, and she accepts. Boy gets mad when she tells him (they are outside together at this point) and he slaps her????? and insults her ("Salope") I- then he runs after her and she's like "yeah fine I like you we're getting married just bring me back home" typa vibe, and they get in a car crash and he dies (RIP but not really). Suzon lives and doesn't marry Pierre. Hildegarde is depressed. the end.
In the end there is a chapter like two years later and another domestic basically tells us all about it and she's like well Hildegarde loved Boy it's okay it's normal they were like implicitly engaged and he treated her like a woman it made her beautiful? HUH? she was 11/12 what are you talking about lady
anyway, meh and I 'm pissed because I liked some passages at the beginning and it was funny and sweet sometimes and I liked the writing but this shit - and it's romanticized?! I can't
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