French title: Les Innocents
First Published: 1972
Englished: Eileen Ellenbogen, 1972
The Innocents –
Georges Simenon
Married, with two teenaged children, steady income from a
creative work, comfy apartment in Paris a long way from country origins, George
Célerin believes he’s got it made. But the sudden death of his wife Annette in
a traffic accident gets Célerin to examining his life, his marriage, his
relationships with other people. And we know in Simenon’s existential thrillers
that the process of examining a hitherto unexamined life reveals disagreeable
truths.
Célerin realizes that he missed red
flags. In bed, Annette is frigid. When they
are married Annette tells him “We’ll always be good friends.” In contrast with
universal custom in France, after the birth of their first, she continues to work as a social worker with the poor, old, and afflicted. And Annette is killed on
rue Washington, a street where the poor, old, and afflicted do not live.
Like I said, our protagonist was warned but he was besotted with love, affection, and trust and protected by other innocents who didn’t want his innocence disillusioned and naively assumed their secret would never get out.
Like the other psychological thrillers, Simenon writes a short,
simple, efficient little novel, raw and straightforward. In this novel, an
ordinary man's disturbing confrontation with his own evasion of responsibility begins when his confidence
in a spouse and their marriage is shaken up. Simenon argues that unless we can
preserve our ignorant, silly shelter of innocence with work and love or the
usual distractions, we will inevitably find contentment to be fragile and tranquility transient. Simenon reminds us that we are mortal; that the Fate can strike at
random when we expect it the least; that we don’t control our health or our
property or other drivers; that we are, all of us, alone.
Until, at least, the dog drops her leash in our lap.
Until, at least, the dog drops her leash in our lap.
Click on the year published to go to the review.
·
The Glass Cage / La Cage de Verre (1973)
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