I'm Gone

Winner of the 1999 Prix Goncourt probably the most prestigious French literature prize this book is part crime thriller, part romance with a trip above the arctic circle in search of art treasures thrown in for good measure. It all begins with Felix Ferrer an art dealer deciding to walk out on his wife. Bored with his clientele at his art gallery and the job in general he listens to his assistant Delahaye's story of a commercial ship with paleoarctic art on board which had run aground above the arctic circle after which Delahaye as it happens dies and so Felix makes the trip and tracks it down--only problem is as soon as he gets it back to his Paris apartment the collection is stolen before he can insure it. Along the way he is juggling show more a string of romances which for Echenoz is a vehicle for making observations on everything from perfume to mass transit systems. In any case Echenoz moves his plot along very nicely and this one has more than a few surprising twists and turns before everything is resolved. He has a very light touch--reminds me of Raymond Queneau a bit--and can be quite the wit. It may not be very very serious but it is good fun. show less

"Je m'en vais" annonce Félix Ferrer à la femme qui partage sa vie. Et le voici lancé dans une grande aventure.Sur la foi de son collaborateur Delahaye, ce galeriste parisien part pour le Pôle Nord. Quarante ans plus tôt, un navire a fait naufrage sur la banquise et à son bord se trouveraient des œuvres d'art inestimables : de l'art boréal, paléobaleinier. Le trésor trouvé, rapporté à Paris, entreposé, alors que Delahaye est mort, voici qu'il est dérobé. Ferrer est effondré, au bord de la faillite. A-t-il été manipulé, otage d'une sordide affaire combinée à son insu ? Les événements vont s'enchaîner, de plus en plus incroyables, insolites et fascinants...

Félix Ferrer, séducteur quinquagénaire au système show more cardiaque peu brillant et propriétaire d'une galerie d'art moderne sur le déclin, s'en va. Il quitte sa femme pour en rejoindre une autre. Il abandonne Paris six mois plus tard et embarque à bord d'un bateau pour une expédition dans le Grand Nord canadien, à la recherche d'objets d'art inuit, enfouis dans une épave échouée sur la banquise. En effet, sur les conseils en investissement de son informateur et assistant Delahaye, Ferrer se décide à aborder l'art ethnique, plus à la mode que la peinture moderne. Il rentre à Paris avec son trésor inuit qui vaut une petite fortune. Quelques jours après son retour, les antiquités disparaissent mystérieusement... Ferrer, de nouveau victime d'alertes cardiaques, se réveille un jour à l'hôpital. Son regard se pose sur une belle jeune femme. Cette fois-ci, de façon surprenante, elle ne l'attire pas... Par la magie d'une écriture pleine d'ironie et de légèreté, Je m'en vais, faux polar mais vrai roman, récompensé par le prix Goncourt 1999, conduit très progressivement son lecteur au dénouement des intrigues avec une sorte de désinvolture et un humour certain. --Nathalie Jungerman show less

This won the Prix Goncourt and was a huge bestseller in France, so who am I to complain? (Ah, we ALL know the answer to that!) According to those completely reliable copywriters at the publisher: “a heist caper, an Arctic adventure story, a biting satire of the art world, and a meditation on love and lust and middle age all rolled into one fast-paced, unpredictable, and deliriously entertaining novel, I'm Gone tells the story of an urbane art and antiques dealer who abandons his wife and career to pursue a memorably pathetic international crime spree.” It’s all true—on some level—though I don’t think it was “deliriously” entertaining by any means. It’s a quick, easy read, entertaining enough, and a great beach book. It show more requiresg no deep thought…or, perhaps, not much thought at all. show less

The plot is engaging and moves along well enough, but Echenoz' observations are the main appeal of this novel. His protagonist-Felix Ferrer-is particularly observant, especially of women and his comments are often quite astute and refreshing. The settings are Paris and the far North, both of which come alive in Echenoz' hands--Spain a little less so--because of the detail he includes and his often quirky observations. The theme explores midlife angst. Ferrer seems to be more of a passive observer of life than an actor, so his abrupt decision to leave his wife and seek adventure in the North seems a little out of character. Likewise his violent reaction to Delehaye seems unusual. Despite these minor flaws, the novel was quite engaging.

L'estil recorda moltíssim el de Michel Houellebecq. Tant, que si quan llegeixi una altra novel·la d'un dels dos no en mir la coberta, no sabré de qui és.

La traducció de Maria Ginés es magnífica, gairebé perfecta.

Si li don quatre estrelles en comptes de cinc, és perquè pens que l'argument dóna per a una novel·la més curta (o un conte llarg). Per a una novel·la d'aquesta llargada, li falta una mica de substància. Però la lectura no és en absolut una pèrdua de temps.

Kind of silly, but lively writing. Thought he was going in a Patricia Highsmith direction for a bit, but then he pulled back.

The writer had a lot of fun with language as well as odd-ball characters.