Jos Carbone, by Jacques Benoit

This one had been on my list for a really long time. I had heard about it in one of my literature classes during my undergrad, intriguingly enough that I wrote it down somewhere. That's something. It's not like I was lacking in reading material at the time.

Summary

Jos Carbone lives with his girlfriend, Myrtie, somewhere in the forest. It really looks like a cabin in the woods: no road in sight, only thick trees as far as the eye can see. So when Myrtie sees a face in a window, she has something to be afraid of.

Jos Carbone's protective instincts, when he hears about this strange apparition, are awakened in force. He swears to kill this intruder who has come to frighten his wife. He asks for help from his friend, Pique, who lives a little further down the road with his girlfriend, Germaine, in an underground, literally a hole in the ground. (Why they live there is a mystery.)

And that's when things get really strange. Pique reluctantly follows his friend Jos Carbone on a manhunt that, it must be said, is rather hasty. Neither of them have ever seen this intruder, nor has Myrtie been hurt. But it turns out that this intruder, named Pierrot, is really dangerous. Completely crazy, he wants to possess Myrtie. And Germaine wants to possess Pierrot. Obsessed with their desire, the two don't care about those who would stand in their way.

Impressions

It is sad to learn that this novel, which was described as "the discovery of a great writer" by Gaston Miron and as "a tale, perfectly well turned, better perhaps thanAlice in Wonderland " by Jacques Ferron, has fallen into oblivion to this extent. This is a very special, eerie, strange, animal and really well written novel that I will certainly not soon forget.

I read it in one evening: it's short, yes, but it's also very easy to read in one sitting. The pace is fast, the characters are both repulsive and fascinating, and the story is so unpredictable that you never get bored. I would have preferred this read to many others I was forced to do in college.

For more information, see this interview of Jacques Benoit in Le Devoir, where the author explains his disappointment at having been forgotten and his efforts not to sink into bitterness, and this review by Madame Lit, where Jacques Benoit's brother offers a more thorough analysis of the book than mine.