Is Mourad Winter a good guy?

Humorist, novelist and filmmaker, Mourad Winter has made a name for himself on Instagram, where his stories made (almost) everyone howl with laughter. Today, he publishes Les Meufs c'est des mecs bien, as irreverent as ever. But at what price?

Wourad is in a relationship with Adélaïde. One day, out of boredom, he cheats on her. She, for her part, decides to convert to Islam and wear the hijab. How will he manage to avoid getting caught while also avoiding the impression that he’s a religious radical who’s imposing his views on his partner in the neighborhood?

It’s very difficult to follow up a successful debut novel—especially one of such high quality. Any author will tell you that. Mourad Winter, for his part, has chosen to continue in the same vein as his first book Love Is Overrated: a very conversational, slang-filled writing style with a lighthearted and irreverent tone. By introducing a different character—but one with the same name—he chooses to elevate her to an archetype so he can address all the problems in today’s world while taking aim at political correctness. While this is a clever choice—perhaps even the only one possible in this context—the result falls short of its full potential.

Insolence should not be confused with irrelevance

The author’s strength in his first novel was his portrayal of a foolish, lost character—a sort of wild, adolescent dog who refuses to grow up. It was also an opportunity for the author to take a swipe at just about everything that annoyed him, all while addressing the reality of being Arab and Muslim in 2023. In Les Meufs c'est des mecs bien, the angle is the same, but it seems to have lost some of its spark—a bit as if the breath of fresh air had already faded. The attacks on religion, gender, and physical appearance, which were already present in the first book, are here almost flat rehashes with virtually no substance.

The basic premise—an Arab character who is an occasional practitioner of his faith, paired with a Catholic partner who wishes to convert and wear the hijab—is an excellent starting point for exploring these issues. This is precisely what Mourad portrays in the first third of the book. However, the narrative quickly loses steam, giving way to the protagonist’s ramblings and sexual urges, in order to force him to confront the realities of his married life.

That is precisely the novel’s main problem: the character commits an immoral act as early as the third page. It therefore seems difficult to root for him, since every choice, every action, and every word will be intended to cover up his deception. While it’s possible to build a narrative around a villainous character, the story and its moral must serve that character, and there must be a purpose. Here, the barrage of jokes (which, it must be said, is as prolific as ever—a feat in itself) serves only to mask a lack of narrative coherence and a cowardly protagonist.

A Never-Ending Story

In addition to the barrage of jokes and puns on every page, the author’s greatest gift lies in the way he addresses the oppression of certain individuals—a stark contrast to the text’s humorous tone. The most striking passages, just as in Love Is Overrated, are the ones where the novelist gets serious and bluntly lays bare the realities of certain people’s lives. Does Adélaïde want to wear the veil? No problem, but she’ll probably have to give up her job as a school principal, put up with being followed by store security guards, and face off against her fundamentalist Catholic mother, and so on.

«Michel quickly realized that, in truth, the left was never really for us. We gravitated toward it naturally, to set ourselves apart from the far right. In reality, there’s no one more pro-Sarkozy than a guy from the projects. Do you know many Tony Montana fans who are content with welfare?” (Editor's note: Active Solidarity Income)»Not me.”

Mourad Winter had a superb premise for a funny and touching book, but he got bogged down in this affair that leads nowhere except to the shores of misogyny. Moreover, the entire narrative feels overly complicated for such an abrupt ending that does nothing to resolve the issues raised. Special mention goes to two female supporting characters, one of whom is there solely for her attractive physique, which is tempting to Mourad (which is illogical, since the infidelity had already taken place in the opening pages); and the woman with whom the hero cheats on his partner, who is described only in animalistic and derisive terms.

Still, if we set aside its illogical plot and its ending, Les Meufs c'est des mecs bien will likely appeal to longtime fans.

Write to the author: mathieu.vuillerme@leregardlibre.com

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Mourad Winter
Les Meufs c'est des mecs bien
Clique Publishing 
2023 
324 pages

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