Twist – Delphine Bertholon

25 ene 2011 Dejar un comentario

by Takeshi-kun in Literatura

Last time I read a French writer’s work was a couple of years ago (5 to be more precise). I remember reading each one of the delightful -and totally edible -pages that compose Marguerite Yourcenar’s ‘Alexis ou le traité du vain combat’, encouraged by a gay friend who said I needed to read the book in order to understand him a bit better.

Twist, original cover

After that, I always kept myself away from French literature -and more over, anything regarding France-, which set the course for my blissfully unaware attitude towards French letters, resulting in me having  yet to read Molière, Sartre and the more contemporary writer J. M. G. Le Clézio -whose books are already on my shelf waiting to be opened (and probably dusted).

However, after a long time of reluctance I came across this book, whose cover immediately caught up my attention. No doubt I headed towards the check-out girl and told her I wanted to buy the book. After finally finishing it, what can I say? Well, in few words, Twist‘s narrative is not as eye-catching as the little girl in praying position located in the cover of the aforementioned material.

I have to admit it, the first ten pages were as confusing as Ulysses in his most difficult parts, nevertheless, in contrast to James Joyce masterpiece, Twist fails to make the readers cling themselves to the story. It is true that the core of the book is rather interesting, for it is based on the premise of ‘liberty through words’. Madison, one of the three protagonists, is by far the most developed character the book has to offer, for the girl’s love interest and mother (the other 2 main characters) maintain their immature and plain features, an aspect that gets really boring by the last pages of the book.

In my humble opinion, Twist is not the great novel many people told me it was. I was definitely willing to find me a new inspiration from a country that only provoked fear and consternation, but the only thing I found was a very well written, yet ironically filled with emptiness book that didn’t live up to a humble reader’s expectations because of its cheap cheesiness.

I think I might reread Marguerite’s Alexis. I recall it was a good book, if memory serves.

See you next time?

Takeshi