Welcome to «The Oracle of the Wolves».»

Tuesday's books - Lauriane Pipoz

Olivier Beetschen's latest creation is a thriller set in Fribourg. After two collections of poems and two thrillers, the Lausanne-born author now turns his hand to a tale that mixes murder, drugs, love and - his specialty - legend. Even if it's easy to get lost in the various ways of reading the adventures of René Sulic, star investigator for the Sûreté de Fribourg, this Fribourg novel is certainly worth the detour - especially if you're fond of the Basse-Ville, legends, fine writing, or all three.

Sitting on the terrace of a well-known café in Fribourg, a policeman spotted a fire. After contacting a brigade, he hurried to the scene. An apartment had been ransacked, but there were no injuries. Just as well. Except that this was the beginning of a dark series of murders, each darker than the last, set in the old town of Fribourg. Armed with the legendary story found in a computer salvaged from the disaster, René Sulic and his alternative methods are thrown into the investigation.

A meticulous pen

If the story does not stand out a priori The real difference is the class of Olivier Beetschen's sentences. From the very first sentences, Beetschen has mastered the art of metaphor: with the help of numerous images, he succeeds in conveying his ideas by setting the reader's imagination in motion. Numerous appositions punctuate the narrative, clarifying the characters' impressions and feelings.

«Go and tell him that the paroxysms of suffering inevitably came two days before the nights of the full moon. As if the light diffused by the star was taken from his very marrow. As if the only way to regenerate his being was to absorb, in turn, the brightness that the ice-house shed.»

These comparisons also add a kind of extra dimension to the story, a «little extra» that allows us to be transported by non-rational impressions. This is also the function of the legend retranscribed between the police officers' adventures: it cuts through the narrative to take us on a journey back to 1476, to the Lake Murten region, alongside warriors and lovesick men.

This journey also takes in the contemporary period, as we (re)discover the places that make up the charm of Fribourg's Lower Town. Faithful, well-crafted descriptions of the old town are a pleasure for connoisseurs and novices alike to discover, including the mythical Belvedere bistro, famous for its splendid view over the Sarine.

«The Belvedere bitro had the slightly cobbled-together, slightly rustic character of alternative establishments. The space was divided into multiple nooks and crannies, the floorboards creaking underfoot. Long wooden tables held jass mats and chess sets. Bookcases offered all kinds of books in French and German, detective novels, classics, comic strips... A few worn sofas were grouped around low tables.»

A few blunders

Although the legends blend easily into the story, and even make us forget the simplicity of the plot, a few minor weaknesses nevertheless nuance my very positive impression of this multi-faceted investigation. Admittedly, the characters' feelings are very well described: it's easy to understand what the author is getting at, thanks to her taste for multiple images and appositions. But these metaphorical descriptions may have a flaw: they're not very down-to-earth, which means that the reader can't get attached to the characters.

We find ourselves not trembling for the main characters, and feeling nothing for the budding romance between two protagonists who have been with us since the start of our Fribourg journey. It's a pity, too, that this romance - an almost necessary ingredient in today's novels, if the small number of works without one is anything to go by - is so unrealistic: in the midst of a story that's original in its many different ways of reading, is it really essential to add an element that turns out to be horribly clichéd, because it's coated with too much sugar and deprived of any plot twists?

Despite these few drawbacks, this read nevertheless proved to be a very pleasant surprise. The pleasure derived from the rich descriptions and the reader's transport through several stories far outweighs the story's few weaknesses. My journey to the heart of The Oracle of the wolves proved to be most enjoyable. To be devoured as soon as possible.

Write to the author: lauriane.pipoz@leregardlibre.com

The Oracle of the wolves
Olivier Beetschen
Editions L'âge d'homme
295 pages