La Reine des mousselines by Laura Buisson (review)

chalets, comme on nous appelle en ville” (18). His sister Emma also seems to have trouble adapting, as Jean-Daniel observes: Elle met le livre au micro-ondes, le règle à trois minutes et démarre la cuisson [...] Elle sort le livre qui a cuit tout son temps. La page de couverture, telle une entrec ôte sauce Roquefort, luit d’une lueur surnaturelle. Rien n’est changé. Toujours la même société pourrie de luxure [...] ma sœur donne des cours de lecture au micro-ondes. (24) The first part is a sort of collage that we hope might be elucidated in the second. However, that second part only reinforces what the protagonist truly is, an homme louche caught in the trap of marginalization and social solitude. François Beaune’s novel exudes much tension, including secret sexual desires which are at times incestuous. There is also an obsession on the part of the narrator of not belonging to this world. He seems to want to offer another vision of our world in the surprising form of four cheeses (in four original drawings): “Je vous laisse le plateau entier. Maintenant, je n’ai plus l’énergie. Plus le goût de continuer. Faites venir la relève. Il reste encore tout à faire” (345). Jean-Daniel is an intriguing, humorous, ironic, and confused individual, not unlike some members of his rebellious generation. And yet he does attempt to identify or define himself: “L’homme louche est celui qui regarde de si près les publicités que la trame d’impression sur le papier s’impose à lui” (276). Un Homme louche does at times truly entertain and makes one smile; but it is also troublesome in its overall approach to life. I should mention that this novel has been for the most part well received by the French press. Metropolitan State College of Denver (CO) Alain D. Ranwez BUISSON, LAURA. La Reine des mousselines. Paris: Grasset, 2009. ISBN 987-2-246-657316 . Pp. 253. 18 a. The reader first meets Isabelle as she staggers down a street in Tokyo, wrapped in a dirty white mink coat, clutching a bottle of sake. In this first chapter several objects (the white mink coat, a family-heirloom cameo, a pair of topaz earrings) are introduced and the importance of each one is revealed in later chapters. These objects, along with the names and dates which constitute each chapter title, form a puzzle that is solved little by little. The last chapter provides the explanation for the title, for Isabelle is elected “Reine des Mousselines” in Tarare, a village near Lyon, where the Fête des Mousselines is held every five years. Isabelle is consistently mean and nasty towards those who want to help her. She insults both French and Japanese women to their face, sees herself as the queen of the world, and expects everyone to defer to her wishes. Although she is still young, less than 30, her future seems bleak. Her highest motivation is to have the attention of rich and successful men, and for a time she succeeds, marrying a copyright lawyer, then living with a famous sculptor, and later a very rich Japanese CEO. But she consistently overestimates her charm and her power over her lovers, and ultimately she expects more than her men are willing to give. The reader wonders if she will ever succeed in escaping her current problems by Reviews 609 returning to France. To purchase her plane ticket, she has stolen money from Joy, the one person who trusts her. Then she foolishly spends most of the money on couturier clothes to impress Pierre, her sculptor lover, and, as a result, cannot afford the return ticket. One of the strengths of this book is its backwards chronology, which helps to hold the interest of the reader. The entire thread of Isabelle’s life is developed backwards, through a gallery of portraits of major characters, both Japanese and French, whom she lives with and tries to control, usually through sexual domination . Each chapter title bears the name of an important character (Yokota, Joy, Pierre, Nicolas) as well as locations (Tokyo, Paris, and Tarare), along with dates...