Big Blondes

This weird novel by Echenoz kept me reading because it is so funny and written with such verve and skill. I am also fascinated by the way he uses names to project whole worlds about his characters. See more here http://awayofwriting.blogspot.co.nz/

Gloire, who for a brief moment in time was a glamorous superstar, disappeared after the mysterious death of her manager/lover. Several years later, a television producer hires a private detective to find her so that she can appear in a documentary he is doing on the mystique of blondes. The problem is, Gloire doesn't want to be found. She and her "imaginary friend" Beliard, who is usually to be found sitting on her shoulder, take off, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. ("Beliard is a skinny little brunette, about a foot tall....At best, Beliard is an illusion. At best he is an hallucination forged by a young woman's deranged mind. At worst, he's a guardian angel.")

This is an amusing French crime/comedy caper. Echenoz writes well. show more I preferred his I'm Gone to Big Blondes, but Big Blondes is still worth a quick read. show less

Une belle écriture, mais ça tourne à vide. Dommage...

Malgré l'originalité du scénario et du style, déçu...

'Att störta en man ut i tomma intet är en akt som gör att man glömmer rengöra huden'