Décembre by Nicolas Bouyssi (review)

memory. Insofar as L’oreille d’or emphasizes the positive aspects of Barillé’s deafness, it intimates her difficulties in relationships as well: her total, silent absorption in her work has been misinterpreted by her significant others as indifference. University of Texas, El Paso Jane E. Evans Bouyssi, Nicolas. Décembre. Paris: P.O.L, 2016. ISBN 978-2-8180-3901-4. Pp. 496. 22 a. Bouyssi’s latest novel continues the arc of his previous works, exploring questions of identity, social construct, corporate hegemony, and possible rebellion, while subtly alluding to places, entities, and characters found therein. Told in the first person, this novel takes place in a near future amid a dark atmosphere of uncertainty, dread, and longing. Large pockets of society regularly take drugs, including Cortothiamine—one of several allusions to Philip K. Dick, and a fine example of Bouyssi’s influences in this text. People rely on text messages and social media for nearly all interactions; exploiting big data, it is a hookup culture based on the GEHP (Grille des Expériences Humaines Primordiales) where individuals use a “mikado prodromique” to quickly determine if a mate is worth pursuing long-term. Like nearly all characters in the novel, the protagonist goes by his internet avatar’s name, Décembre, constructing an identity from truth and fiction, hiding behind a mask of anonymity ensconced in his “bulle antibruit.”An“hypermnésique”as he calls himself, Décembre uses his ability to imagine links between the physical appearance, language, home interior, and cultural interests of individuals. He finds his “cobayes” primarily by searching for women on the internet and is often distracted by the opportunities for sexual encounters this provides. However, when the occasion arises, he is often uninterested, turned off by the lack of intimacy, the shallowness of a society where people wear the same clothes from the same stores, meet in the same corporate coffee shops (“de simples lieux de passage, où l’on s’affiche, par le truchement d’un selfie, dans un accès momentané de gloriole” [160]), and divulge the same fantasies based on pornographic tropes. Much of this is due to Saint Phlour,a powerful businessman,who is trying to control how people interact , surreptitiously encouraging wealthy, socially-adjusted individuals, “la majorité quantifiable,”to start families,move to newly-constructed neighborhoods,and purchase new items to fit this lifestyle they have been encouraged to desire (all of which he sells). At the same time he is deliberately pushing others to marginalized areas of the city, from which they will eventually be evicted so that gentrification may more easily occur. At first Décembre uses his abilities for an urban planner, Grossman, who wishes to stop Saint Phlour. However, as the novel progresses, he begins to question his mission and the possibility of truth, especially after he encounters a foreboding band of local terrorists, who may be trying to frame outcasts like Décembre, as well as the legend of 198 FRENCH REVIEW 90.3 Reviews 199 a Batman figure in the streets. This ambiguity and“Dark Knight”atmosphere pervade the novel. Is Décembre Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? Is Batman a menace or a boon to society? Frequently disconcerting, Bouyssi’s pessimistic vision of a dystopian future draws the reader in, offering a scathing assessment of some of the most troubling aspects of contemporary Western culture, ultimately leading to a harrowing climax. Bradley University (IL) Alexander Hertich Constant, Paule. Des chauves-souris, des singes et des hommes. Paris: Gallimard, 2016. ISBN 978-2-07-017836-0. Pp. 176. 17,50 a. Placé sous le signe de l’envahissement des espaces naturels par les sociétés humaines, envahissement qui mène à des conséquences catastrophiques, ce court roman réunit des personnages fort divers dans une forêt de l’Afrique équatoriale et aborde un nombre impressionnant de thématiques—sur un ton poétique qui accentue le saisissement ressenti au cours de la lecture. Olympe, une petite fille dont le prénom s’accorde mal avec sa fragilité, vit dans un village isolé. Rejetée et marginalisée par une bande de garçons qui s’apprêtent à partir dans...