Quand sort la recluse par Fred Vargas (review)

Reviews 223 subjects who are indeed worthy of love, but for whom mutual, profound respect and affection are not possible, given their minority status. Eastern Illinois University Ryan K. Schroth Vargas, Fred. Quand sort la recluse. Paris: Flammarion, 2017. ISBN 978-2-0814-13146 . Pp. 480. When Commissioner Adamsberg returns to Paris to solve a homicide, his attention is drawn to brigade member Voisenet’s desk that smells of ripening fish and his colleague’s computer screensaver which shows a recluse spider. Social media sites are buzzing about a rash of deadly spider bites by a typically timid creature who rarely uses its venom on humans. As Adamsberg delves into the matter, he becomes convinced that it is more than the lingering fish odor that stinks. Without a clear objective and amid skepticism, dissent, even outright treason within his brigade, Adamsberg doggedly pursues his hunch, uncovering an elusive serial killer with a most perplexing modus operandi. In her ninth Adamsberg novel,Vargas once again successfully elevates an already riveting murder mystery to literature. Wordplay, verbal analogies and allusions punctuate the contemplative rhythm, immersing the reader into the workings of Adamsberg’s world. The charmingly eccentric members of his brigade, featuring the physically imposing polyvalent lieutenant Retancourt, Veyrenc who is prone to speak in verse, and Froissy who ensures no one ever wants for food or basic amenities, among others, are back. Adamsberg’s relationship with his friend and colleague, the encyclopedic but depressive Danglard,whose rationalism struggles against Adamsberg’s unorthodox methods, is sorely tested. Danglard’s caustic analogy of Adamsberg as Magellan steering his crew in search of a hypothetical strait, guided by false leads on a mission through uncharted waters, is an apt comparison to the Commissioner’s seemingly random approach to crime-solving.However,the meanderings of Adamsberg’s thoughts and his mental fogginess ultimately successfully lead his crew toward the resolution of a mystery that a rational approach, literary, cultural, or scientific, could not solve. This is Vargas’s fascinating universe of metaphor and symbolism where the animal kingdom—kingfishers, blackbirds, pigeons, beetles, ladybugs and spiders— replicate the altruism and the cruelty of humanity. As the labyrinthine plot unfolds, Vargas weaves a compelling web in which the contemporary cultural unconscious remains trapped by the trauma of World Wars, the anguish of survivor’s guilt, and the need for redemption. But rather than lapsing into pessimism, the novel inspires a deep respect for those who pursue an objective to its fullest. In our world, it is crucial to scratch the proverbial spider bite to satisfaction, as the reader is reminded by recurring character Lucio, who, having lost his arm in the Spanish Civil War, remains restless, unable to scratch a spider bite on his limb.Vargas’s novel should be read for the quality of the mystery it contains, for the appealingly non-stereotypical characters that populate it, and especially for its exploration of a variety of scientific and cultural disciplines. Finally, Vargas reminds us that despite the chilling cruelty of mankind, there is also in humanity a great power of resilience. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Nathalie G. Cornelius Linguistics edited by Bryan Donaldson Arrighi, Laurence, et Annette Boudreau, éd. Langue et légitimation: la construction discursive du locuteur francophone. Québec: PU de Laval, 2016. ISBN 978-2-76373174 -2. Pp. x + 235. With the remise en question of the “idealized native speaker,” researchers have worked to critically address “the speaker” in the study of language. Grappling with complexities and contradictions around constructing “language/s” and “speakers”— particularly in situations of linguistic and cultural (super)diversity—raises contested questions, such as legitimacy, value, authority, authenticity, and normativity, which intersect with identity and power. This volume grew out of a 2012 colloquium at the Université de Moncton on the discursive construction of the “Francophone speaker” in minority settings. The introduction situates the larger issues around the discursive construction of the Francophone speaker with respect to the case of acadien. Petraş examines the interplay of ordinary and expert discourses by which linguists name local Francophone language practices in Nova Scotia chiac, unlike most speakers, who refer to their own speech as acadjonne. Dubois studies intersections of identity, race...