Literature

«My devotion», because behind every great woman lies a man

5 reading minutes

written by Aude Robert-Tissot · July 27, 2021 · 0 comment

«Ma dévotion», parce que derrière chaque grande femme se cache un homme

Julia Kerninon's book, My devotion is a narrative in the form of a monologue written entirely in the second person singular. A declaration. A novel immersed in the years of the artistic avant-garde in Amsterdam, at the heart of a great love affair. Above all, it's the memory of a woman in the shadow of a great man, an artist-painter, and of a life not entirely sacrificed to passionate admiration.

A few months ago, I discovered Julia Kerninon's personality on television, when she was talking about her latest book Liv Maria, interviewed on the literary program «La Grande Librairie».». Above all, I was captivated by her personality. She's a sweet, brilliant young woman, with an intelligence that you don't get from books or university, because Julia Kerninon holds a doctorate in American literature. Her intelligence lies elsewhere, in emotion. A feeling confirmed by my reading of this book and my discovery of Franck and Helen, two characters she portrays with talent, imbued with feelings and enigmatic variations on the theme of romance.

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Friendship

From the very first lines of the book, the tone is set: Helen speaks directly to Franck during a chance meeting in London. We soon learn that it's been several years since their last contact. Throughout the story, the reader is constantly left wondering about the nature of their relationship: is it love or friendship? Resentment or passion?

In the form of a confession, Helen tells him their story as she lived it, an adventure in life with many things left unsaid. Franck and Helen met in Rome when they were teenagers. The first bond that unites them is that of family, absent on both sides. Both their fathers are diplomats and competitors. The two children were lonely and unloved, and immediately became dear friends. It wasn't long before they had the feeling that something strong bound them together, that their lives they would share.

The artist and his devoted

Both driven by an irrepressible desire to get away from their families, they chose Amsterdam to continue their studies, at least Helen, a brilliant student. As for Franck, he didn't find his calling until he was eighteen, and it was painting. Like most artists, Frank took up painting because he simply couldn't do anything else. As the story unfolds, he becomes a renowned artist. And the only one who truly understood his painting was Helen. Helen, his beloved Helen.

A woman half-muse-lover-sister-love-friend, in every way superior to all the painter's conquests, this is undoubtedly what enabled him to get through those years in her shadow. Helen was a woman of not entirely selfless devotion, for it enabled her to rub shoulders with Frank, inhabited by the genius of creation. Yes, she liked the idea that without her, this great artist would simply never have existed.

It is this aspect that is undoubtedly new and interesting in this book. The dedication of a passionate woman with a mad capacity for love. Helen's personality, love and support made a great artist's career possible. A story that illustrates the sometimes clichéd quote that «behind every great man is a woman». Julia Kerninon, through the character of Helen, honors these forgotten women. Authors of their own lives, such as Liv Maria, Or those who seem submissive at first glance, but so independent and strong, like Helen. The author takes us away from clichés and into the luminous complexity of a woman in the shadows.

A feel-good novel of love and friendship, sprinkled with various descriptions of an artist's life. We want to live with Helen and Frank in this Amsterdam apartment, through their crazy adventures, those of a life of complicity. All this is cradled by the author's free-spirited, sensitive and captivating style.