Monsieur

The back-cover of this translation talks up the humor of the Monsieur's serene, mundane, and blithe being--and its definitely worthy of the mention. Beyond that, the whole story almost feels as light as the physical book. Monsieur has social annoyances (but little contention) and an extremely light touch of melancholy (or, perhaps, an extremely light concern over his general lack of melancholy). Drama--psychological or otherwise--exists more in possibility than in occurrences. But, don't be deceived: nearly the entire book, by feeling almost as neutral as a window (or Monsieur, himself), generally free of conjecture, allows everything from the absurdity of a dull boardroom to the studied nature of reality pass by, quietly un-contended. With this re-calibrated baseline, the most arduous of shifts in a personal life, here, can seem nearly imperceptible. It's really a very traditional story brushing against some of the weightiest contemporary issues--trimmed down to only the most essential internal wrangling.

Monsieur is a thirty something young French executive at a prestigious corporation. We meet him as he moves into a new office following a promotion. The most treasured perk of his new job is a machine that makes excellent coffee. Monsieur arrives early at meetings so that he can grab the most inconspicuous seat. He can't seem to get out of typing a manuscript his neighbour insists on dictating. And of course Monsieur insists on serving a guest coffee when he visits his office. Is Monsieur a French version of Mr. Bean? Not quite. He does move in with his ex-girlfriend's parents following a soccer injury. They expressed worry, he took it as an invitation. (Why not?). Occasionally Monsieur works out an overly complicated way of solving a problem, for instance how he splits the check on a first date. But when push comes to shove, Mr. Bean is callous while Monsieur is at worst passively insensitive. Mr. Bean's solutions fail spectacularly while Monsieur's succeed discretely. Unassuming and self-effacing, Monsieur goes through life quietly and successfully. He's not really clueless, he knows he could lose it all which is why he hides. And his escapes, whenever the world tries to intrude, had me in stiches. Hilarious. Vincent Poirier, Tokyo