The title of the book can not be more explicit, Emmanuel Carrère offers us a ready-to-speech book, partly autobiographical, in which lives, opinions, moods are recounted with sincerity and loyalty given the deep respect shown at the location of the portrayed, living or not. This book, full of great sadness, tells two tragic events a few months apart: the death of a little girl, encountered by the author during his stay in Sri Lanka Apocalyptic (2004 tsunami), and the his sister-stealthily passed from life to death by the spread of a withering cancer. For this disturbing narrative based on the use of the first person singular, the author focuses on the story of her sister, Juliette, leaving express its special relations, family and friendly. This intimate story is taxing. Narrated without affectation, he plunges us into the harshness of everyday life that can not leave indifferent as he encouraged to meditate on his own existence. In his observations, his considerations on the couple and their affect, Emmanuel Carrère displays his inner torment immediately and seems to resolve to evolve to address the occurrence of evoked dramas. Openness to others, these individuals appear less foreign to him, tends to provoke in him a resilience event, an awakening of resistance to failure or the remission of this trend ego forced him to reduce everything to him. Trying to understand happiness in this way is laudable but the business of narrating the lives of stolen items (on order or with the agreement of respondents) can be intrusive. Will consent us to tell, ostensibly express the tragic events of our home environment, now within the reach of all? This interference in the private sphere does not alter the ineffable character of dramatic situations that should be preserved? Moreover, the feelings of each other may have to evolve over time, stakeholders while regretting their words spoken hastily given the fledgling mourning.
This book by Emmanuel Carrère does not belong to this literature which blistered eloquently praised sham compassion. What is narrated sounds right and seeks empathy and reflection of the player in the sentimental and social / legal matters (the acerbic description of the credit world calls). I just émettrai a reservation on the approach to narrate feelings, beliefs, very personal reactions that only partially belong to the author in light of the passing of the autobiographical context.