Ground Zero by Jean-Paul Chaumeil (review)

force is far less any one emblematic or autobiographical central figure than in the poetry volumes that helped earn him preeminence. As a result, there are various ways to perceive La Grande Ourse. To read its fairly minimalistic, dreamlike dialogues with no awareness of the author’s progression over the years, particularly with respect to his faith in la parole as a path toward unity and shared collective destiny and therefore as a means to counteract falsely reassuring conceptual systems, is to risk disorientation. Conversely,to welcome these explorations of voices that cross through our unconscious, to savor their mystery “comme en des nuits de l’enfance nous nous couchions dans l’herbe du pré, derrière nos maisons, pour aller parmi les millions d’étoiles avec l’impression de tomber” (Prière d’insérer), is to be enjoyably immersed in intersubjectivity and to intuitively accept an underlying promise of renewal and continual discovery. One can then appreciate the ambiguities of each two- to three-page conversation; measure the importance of each short phrase or brief paragraph set apart typographically by spaces; take pleasure in how the rustling of words evokes enigmas as it mixes standard and high registers; and contemplate with always renewed interest the combination of everyday misunderstandings and comments such as “Je crois en une beauté de par derrière le monde” (32). The seven short pieces mostly emphasize dialogue between a man and a woman who poetically discuss a scene that seems to rise up out of the past and the unconscious. Dramas in miniature take place, complemented by subtle detail regarding an elemental setting and then ending with a singular statement: “Des insectes s’entredévorent sur des pierres plates et grises, tachées de mousses” (13); “Les choses rient, elles se rient de nous, le sol se troue, le ciel tombe” (17); “Les étoiles brillent, le ciel bouge” (21). Points of departure include a noise or sound heard, an unsettling dream vision, and a telephone call from a metamorphic figure that embodies a series of remembrances. The tripartite Dedans, dehors? likewise foregrounds scenes elemental and oneiric, distant and immediate, haunting yet mythically real. Its short prose phrases invite reflection on the extent to which we can feel rooted in the here and now, for example through artistic form and color as well as the tales, people, and places that shape who we are. Set within the frame of the overarching question indicated by the title, each section invites us into a variant of an imagined, powerfully felt space of human exchange. In sum, this is meditative poetry with intriguing eloquence, symbolism, and depth. Southwestern University (TX) Aaron Prevots Chaumeil, Jean-Paul. Ground Zero. Arles: Rouergue, 2015. ISBN 978-2-8126-07448 . Pp. 217. 19 a. Tout en gris et noir, la couverture annonce déjà la couleur de ce roman. Traversée en diagonale d’un large bandeau noir de deuil, la photo est dominée par un épais nuage de fumée et de lourdes colonnes semblables à celles d’un bâtiment fédéral au258 FRENCH REVIEW 89.3 Reviews 259 dessus duquel flotte un drapeau américain tristement tourné vers le bas. Trois hommes d’affaires en cravate sont en train de fuir—présage du rythme haletant de la lecture. L’action se déroule à New York, en deux temps: “NINE ELEVEN [THE DAY]” (13– 178), et“NINE ELEVEN [THE DAY AFTER]”(183–217). Pourtant, le narrateur ne se contente pas de relater ce qu’il vit pendant ces deux journées, particulièrement la nuit qui les sépare; il raconte les circonstances au cours desquelles il a fait la connaissance de plusieurs personnages qui apparaissent ou réapparaissent au fur et à mesure que l’action progresse. Ainsi, grâce aux fréquents retours en arrière, c’est quasiment le globe entier que l’on parcourt, d’une base de l’OTAN à Naples jusqu’à la Ciudad Juarez, Contras au Nicaragua, mafia russe à NY et Zetas à la frontière mexicano-américaine ainsi que les différents milieux dans lesquels l’invétéré assassin a œuvré. Si cœurs et âmes sensibles doivent s’abstenir, amateurs de...