On the surface, it's a search for a book written in 1938 "Le Labyrinthe De L'Inhumain" (the labyrinth of the inhuman), which was acclaimed as written by the "Rimbaud nègre", an African with the writing skills of one of France's most revered authors. The author, T.C. Elimane, completely vanished from the earth, as the copies of the books were taken from bookshops and destroyed, based on the accusation of plagiarism.
A young writer from Senegal, Diégane Latyr Faye, the main character, tries to reconstruct what happened, based on publications and people who knew the author, and he comes across even more mysteries, in the sense that every one who ever read the book, has died from unnatural causes.
Mohamed Mbougar Sarr was not known to me, and it is thanks to his winning of the Prix Goncourt that he came to my attention. Sometimes literary prizes are indeed deserved, as is the case here. His writing is entertaining, making this novel as full as suspense as a crime novel, even if the greater theme is about literature and culture, about cross-cultural interaction and adoption, about skills and appreciation. The novel is also about living true to your beliefs, and the fact that a very promising author disappeared from the world in order not to give in to the forces of expectation and society, is also a very modern one. But it also touches on the quality of life versus personal gain, of rationality versus a more mystic appreciation of our world. And despite all these abstract themes, woven together in a tight fabric of stylistically refined text, the characters remain human, with their desires, fears, conflicts and expectations.
We are spoiled this year with great novels. This one is surely among them.
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