Monsieur Rene

"At all events, America was certainly an extraordinary land of opportunity for some, while being a land of hope inevitably lost for others, whose horizons had been shattered by an overpowering indifference."

Monsieur René is the former Chief Concierge of a fancy hotel in Geneva, and the Permanent President of the International Brotherhood of Concierges and Hall Porters, a role of no small stature, if small in duty. He is retired, widowed, and has begun to question his past values; he has decided to seek out something more than despondent idleness in his twilight years, he wants to do something.

I don't believe I have ever read a novel that focused on a character at this "late stage" of life, and I had not a single notion of what this show more book would be about or how it would go. A completely random gamble on a famous name and what sounded like an intriguing premise: "a sharp-witted man discovering a new lease of life in his twilight years [...] wickedly funny and acutely perceptive," the back of the book begins. And a fabulous gamble it was.

"How strange, he ruminated. The whole absurd odyssey had been his idea, a whim so powerful he did not even question it before inviting his acquaintances, who followed their self-imposed leader, at first a little tepidly, then with a boyish sense of adventure, and now, suddenly, here he was, under observation like some captive animal, accepting instructions from a person he had known for several hours. And a woman at that!"

Monsieur René is a little stiff, he has made his living on his perfected formality and doesn't feel comfortable without it. However, a host of unexpected things happen that effectively turn his very predictable if not boring life upside-down. It's quite an entertaining read, and rather thought-provoking as well. Definitely recommended.

"If he were to remain alone, he would be obliged to take refuge in his own kind of madness." show less