Tuesday books - Lauriane Pipoz
Don't give night time a chance is a dialogue-driven novel. It presents the quest for identity of a young woman trying to escape her past. Paradoxical? Not necessarily, since it shows just how much can be lost in the search for one's roots.
Maiko has amnesia. She woke up in Brussels with a scar on her back and a lot of anxiety. Her father's secretary left her an envelope with money and a new passport. Finally, she gave her one instruction: not to reveal her identity to anyone.
A tale in two parts
This is the basis on which Sonia Molinari develops her first novel. It's built in two parts: the amnesia, where Maiko appears to be a victim of her situation, and the part where, having become an expert in the art of disappearing, she seems to be in control of her own destiny. This dichotomy makes the book almost schizophrenic, reflecting the young woman's loss of identity. The reader loses himself in the pages accompanied by a protagonist with two facets. They become more and more alike as the story progresses.
Disguised as a stewardess, Maiko has to be very resourceful to escape the people who want to kill her. As she tries to escape her pursuers, she is also desperate to understand what happened to her father. The microbiologist disappeared years ago, an event that left her family shattered. But is it really necessary to know one's roots in order to build oneself up?
Pure style
On his journey, the main character can count on the unexpected help of childhood friends, employers and adventurers. And always with the same question in mind: who can he trust? This book is as much a suspense novel as it is a tale of human relationships and loneliness. The main plot gradually becomes secondary, as the pleasure of this read derives mainly from the author's style: spare, it makes it easy to put oneself in the place of the protagonists. Dialogue punctuates the book, often taking precedence over descriptive passages. Nevertheless, she seems at ease integrating the reader into the atmosphere and conveying her characters' feelings with just a few words - integrated or not within the dialogue. This almost minimalist style is certainly one of the reasons why it's so easy to imagine the places and the relationships that develop.
It could be argued that the characters' psychology is not sufficiently developed: we meet a multitude of them and sometimes have little time to get to know them. This perfectly reflects Maiko's impressions, as she has to run away several times after meeting someone. This evanescence of secondary characters is one of the elements that makes this a very enjoyable read: on the basis of one, or even two, major events, we can imagine for ourselves what might have happened to them to develop certain character traits. Just as the main character was able to do.
Considering this book as a straightforward thriller, it might seem expected, presenting a plot that's a little too easily pigeonholed. But if you see it as an elegant work about fear, it becomes complex. Finally, if it rings true, it's probably because Sonia Molinari knows what she's talking about. She knows how to make escaping pleasant, and how to make us understand that it's possible to exorcise our fears, while knowing how to confront them.
Write to the author: lauriane.pipoz@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Romain Guélat / Editions Zoé
Sonia Molinari
Don't give night time a chance
Editions Zoé
2020
304 pages
French 
German 
English