In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • La figurante par Pauline Klein
  • Alain Ranwez
Klein, Pauline. La figurante. Flammarion, 2020. ISBN 978-2-0815-0392-2. Pp. 203.

Interestingly, the cover portrays a young woman lying prone halfway on a sofa, feet in the air and face buried in the cushion. She is clearly alive, and her almost comical position only makes the reader wonder what is awaiting this unique individual who seems to have lost all hope and energy. Pauline Klein's fine literary style, however, quickly and vividly introduces the reader to Camille and her youthful struggle for self-discover and identity. The narrative takes us from her adolescence in Paris to her move to New York City where, it is rumored, everything is possible. As it had been presented on French television, it is indeed an expensive city, where 'friends' are not exactly friends. Camille finds an internship in an art gallery, meets and befriends intimately a banker, and copes with life in New York for two years. Camille, however, is uncomfortable with herself. She does not understand the forces that society brings to bear upon her, or the masks it often requires her to wear. Not quite knowing or willing to play the social game, Camille returns to Paris, having wasted her time, having lived marginally, and not having done anything of note. In Paris she once again finds employment in another art gallery, Extra Muros. During this period Camille discovers part of her self-awareness: "Peu à peu, je me résignais à l'idée de devoir vivre avec ce que d'autres pensaient, ce que d'autres voulaient de moi, ce que d'autres dictaient, et surtout, je devrais le faire en silence" (81). Camille encounters an individual who subtly suggests she become a writer. Consequently, Camille begins her literary journey understanding that: "Il y aurait enfin un endroit consacré à mon existence et ce serait le roman" (114). La figurante, however, does not end there. Camille goes on, still at a loss in terms of social identity, meets Elias, allows herself to get involved in an unhappy male-dominant relationship, gets engaged to be married, and still aspires to belong to something. In some ways this is an exasperating novel in that the protagonist never seems to live authentically. She is apathetic even in her lovemaking. This reader kept hoping that something would finally happen and perhaps a catharsis does eventually appear in the final scene. The novel is a well-written reflection on the masks society often forces us to wear. It thereby makes us question the roads we automatically take, at times, without thinking. The reader just has to be patient with the protagonist, [End Page 269] as Klein guides the narrative through its articulation of what many might have experienced in life.

Alain Ranwez
Metropolitan State University of Denver (CO), emeritus
...

pdf

Share