Genre : Contemporary Family Drama
Cover : 3.5 ***
Rating : 3.5 ***
French Exit is the story of Frances and Malcolm Price – a rich, indolent aristocratic mother-son duo, who suddenly find that they are now destitute. The way they conduct themselves once they become aware of this fact is much the same as they would have done had nobody told them they had no more money. Frankly, it was impossible to feel any deep sympathy for either of them as they are portrayed as such cool and aloof people that it seems unlikely that they would wish for any friendships or pity or any such sentiment from other ordinary mortals.
On being told by their solicitor that they have no more money, they decamp to France to live in the Parisian apartment of one of Frances’ oldest and possibly only friend. Here they are also accompanied by their cat, Small Frank, who they believe is the carrier of the soul of the now long-dead Husband/Father Price. If one thought this was weird, the author just manages to make matters worse by telling us skeptical non-believers that this superstition on their part is actually true! In their Paris apartment they also begin accumulating live-in’s of all varieties ranging from a widowed old lady, a shy detective, a psychic, a wine seller and so on. All these people essentially move in with Frances and Malcolm without ever telling them that they are doing so or either of them objecting to it.
When you read such stories, it is impossible not to try and imagine whether there actually exist people like this. And the world has so many that it is entirely possible that these characters are very much real somewhere. I liked Malcolm but still it was not possible to push him out of his inertia or what I perceived as his somnolent outlook towards life to do anything that his mother does not allow him to do. He does show some sparks of feelings in one or two pages but those bits are like lightening and almost lost in the blink of an eye. At the conclusion of the book I was seriously wondering how he would go on with is life and what will he do to survive now that he has no money – will he be able to work for a living? Will his girlfriend have to feed and take care of him? Will he manage to show some initiative at all?
The way the author ends the book is in fact a perfect ending as the reader realizes that was exactly where things were headed. Frances was almost on this spiritual journey that could only have culminated where it did. The title of the book also finally made sense at the very end as I would say it refers to the dramatic exits that actors make from stage and probably have names for like the Shakespere Exit say
The writing style is very easy to absorb and move on fast and it is almost possible to miss some of the brilliant one-liners that the author has come up with in the narrative. In fact, I was tempted to check once or twice whether those were original quotes or had been picked up from somewhere else. Didn’t do it eventually. However, I take exception to the blurbs that describe the book as witty and funny. It was hardly that by any stretch of the imagination. Having grown up on Woodhouse and other great British wits, this book falls way short of that descriptive tag for me at least.
At best, it can be described as a tragic-comedy or a dark comedy, but it is certainly not outright funny at any point. Everyone is sad and staying that way for most of the time in the story. Still I found myself enjoying it in a way and turning the pages rapidly enough. I do think I will like it more on a second reading, but when that will happen is not clear yet.
Wanton Ruminating 