Customer Reviews

The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches: A Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this wonderful book by chance in a local bookstore -- and what a discovery! I have read reviews and commentaries about this novel that compare Soucy's literary style to that of noted Italian master Italo Calvino -- and while I think the comparison is an apt one, it is certainly not an indication that Soucy is derivative in any way. This is a refreshingly original work, and one that is a joy -- as well as a challenge -- to experience.

Written in the form of a hurriedly-composed memoir, yet incredibly rich in its language and imagery, this novel slowly and masterfully lays bare the beautiful but horrifying existence two siblings experience on a large estate in the countryside, raised there in isolation by their authoritarian father. They are not sent to school -- there is no television and no radio, and no contact with the nearby village. Neighbors are few, and are only seen on rare occasions, at a distance. The estate is occasionally visited by a one-legged beggar -- one of the few people the father seems to welcome into their company. Any other visitors are kept at a distance from the children, dealt with by the father in tete-a-tetes in the fields, far out of earshot. The children's only knowledge of the outside world comes from the seemingly thousands of books in the estate's library.

The narrator of the story -- one of the two siblings -- refers to the books as 'disctionaries'. There are classic tales of chivalry and adventure to be found there, as well as texts on philosophy -- Spinoza is mentioned quite often. The reference to these books as 'distionaries' is an important and telling revelation about the way the children perceive the world -- left to their own devices and imaginations, their view inevitably is a skewed one, and the amazing construction of language they use, and with which Soucy tells this tale, is a wonder to behold.

The language sometimes gets a little cumbersome and confusing -- but that, again, is a symptom of the lives led by these children, and, I believe, an effective conveyance of their situation and outlook to the mind of the reader. It makes for a sometimes slow read -- but it's a very rewarding one. The story itself peels away rather like the layers of an onion -- as it progresses, the reader (as well as the narrator), comes closer and closer to the heart, to the truth, of the matter. The journey is filled with scenes of breathtaking description, of beauty and horror, of rapturous joy as well as despair. There is a timeless quality to the story itself -- there are few details that reveal the setting, either in place or in time. It is only toward the end of the book that we begin to get a feel for approximately when this story might have taken place.

Soucy's workings here are deft and masterful -- the book is crafted like a precious stone being cut by a lapidary genius. Without having read his other novel, THE ATONEMENT (which I plan to do, and soon), I would rank this work right up alongside the creations of the aforementioned Mr. Calvino, as well as the works of Jorge Luis Borges, Carlos Fuentes and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Again, let me emphasize -- I found Soucy's highly original and in no way derivative. I place him in the company of these other authors only to give the potential reader an idea of the magnitude of his talent.

A note on the translation work involved: given the language employed by Soucy, I can only applaud the work of Sheila Fischman, who translated this novel from the original French. The wordplay, the puns, and the alliteration must have presented a monumental task. Without having read the original French version, I can only imagine what a formidable task this must have been. She also translated THE ATONEMENT -- which makes me look forward to reading it even more.

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS TOO FOND OF MATCHES is a relatively short book -- at 138 pages -- but the intelligence, imagination and sheer creativity that are at work within it give it a body that belies the size of this slim volume. I'm sure that I will return to it again and again -- and that I will find even more jewels within it with each exploration.

My bookclub had chosen this book as a "scary" read, or I'd have never known of its existence. This book was both compelling and repelling, but I did read it completely. It is very difficult to follow, but my curiousity got the best of me and I soldiered on. The more I read, the more "aha's" I got-- and the more I could piece together what was really happening. It is like a puzzle, and if you don't have the mental energy to be on your toes with it, you will find it too frustrating. It is a horror story that is told as if with poetry, and is a very tricky and appalling read. This is definitely the most unusual book I've ever read. I gave it three stars because I both hated and loved it!

As other reviewers have said, this is a difficult book to read, because of the language but also because of the subject. The story gradually unfolds, allowing you to understand what the narrator really said, as opposed to what you think you read.

But it's also difficult to read because of its subject matter. It is truly horrifying in a way that horror books never are.

It is a great book, but if you read it, be prepared for it to stick with you, and to remember it at odd hours, and to feel the world is a little uglier after you've read it.

What an extraordinary story Gaetan Soucy has created with this novel! The brevity of the text doesn't diminish its impact. I came across it by chance, highly recommended by a friend. Once started, it turned out to be almost impossible to put down. After the last page of this peculiar "last will and testament" of the young protagonist the emotions lingered on. Frequently addressing the reader directly, he explains why this confession was written at all, and in haste, why there was "no possibility to reread" what was written earlier. The narrative talks about secrets and strange happenings, cross-references to points and events to be elucidated later and explaining uncommon terms. "It's a pretty word, rememory, I don't know if it actually exists, but it means to recall things." Distance is measured in "legs", time in "moons" and the watch used by the brother has no hands.

Two siblings, brothers for all they know, live with their domineering father on a large isolated estate "beyond the pine grove". They are forbidden any contact with the outside world. They see nobody other than five neighbours who appear from time to time to meet with their father. The two have created their own world - somewhere between reality and fantasy. Their only toy is a frog which they captured and feed with dead flies. Their education is founded on "dictionaries" held in the vast library: biblical texts, Spinoza and other classics. The narrator is the "secretarious" whose responsibility is to record everything that is happening. The language they have learned reflects their readings. Their interpretation of concepts is based on what they have been able to grasp from the dictionaries and the father's instructions. The father, a priest at a young age, has his own reasons for the strict discipline extending to himself as well as to his offspring. The story begins with the siblings finding the father dead one morning. One of the two has to gather the courage to venture to the nearby village to get a "grave box". The exposure to the outside world is a complete shock and results in a series of dramatic events that will overwhelm the young people's lives forever.

It is difficult to describe the suspense that Soucy is creating with the use of weird language and the often surreal imagery of the protagonist. We learn about the woodshed named the "vault" and the "Fair Punishment" that is living there... The portrait gallery and the "ball room" carry their own memories, reflected through murmurs of past splendour and laughter or through images visible in the broken, milky mirrors lining the wall. While the mystery thickens around the siblings as the reader gets drawn into the story, it unravels in bits and pieces continuously at the same time. Clues are dropped and hints provided that enable putting together the bizarre and otherworldly life story of this odd family. A very unusual book that has won deserved praise in Quebec, France and around the world in its English translation. [Friederike Knabe]

The writer of this book is a professor of philosophy. Reading merely that on the back flyleaf should be enough to convince any reader that this in not, primarily, a scary story, and I'm finding myself scratching my pate on how the other reviewers here found it "scary" at all. I found it rather more funny than scary---Come now, readers, all the Gothic props are here: old decayed, isolated mansion with the last descendent doing himself in, a horrible secret past, a forlorn child as narrator using archaic vocabulary, and the townspeople ready to storm the place. Rather like a B horror movie, No? It would be if that what the book was about. But it's not.

Certainly, the book has suspense that keeps us turning the relatively few pages -All good and well- What one needs to pay attention to is the use of words and the speculations of the narrator. Many of these words are real, and not mistaken or authorial tropes. They just haven't been used, according to the OED, since the Middle Ages. Examples: houpland, brackmard, etc.

So, what is the author trying to evoke in us? Well, yes, the "Fair Punishment" is rather gruesome. But we've all either read or seen the film of The English Patient by now, right? Philosophers typically present us with what the Germans call a Weltanschauung, or worldview. What is the worldview one comes away with from reading this book? That's the question the reader needs to ask his or her self.

Our narrator gives us some interesting speculation: "I'm not afraid of things that turn out the wrong way and interfere with the everyday matters of this world, it's a change from the pervading decrepitude and the way all things insist on wearing down, if that's what I'm trying to say.".......Is this what she's trying to say? Towards the end, she speaks of her unborn child "howling its name to demand its portion on this wreck of a planet, I took refuge in my pencil as is my wont. For what is there to do in this life but write for nothing?"

What indeed?

This is not an easy read. The idiosyncratic use of language is befuddling yet amusing, constantly surprising the senses. We are taken through a world of innocence, brutality and sympathy. Does the use of language define our ability to experience life? What are the bounds of human suffering?

This book was like a box of chocolates--rich language and images that could only be tasted in morsels. I read the translated version and I wonder if the French version has the same amazing twisting of idoms and strange juxtapositioning of images. A deeply disturbing book, but an enervating read.

This book was beautifully written. The story itself will shock and rattle you to the bone. This book is a devastating but necessary look at humanity. The most unique story I've ever read.

I read this book by chance, on the strength of its title, which reminded me of a favorite fairy-tale.

I had never heard of the author before but within a few pages knew I was reading a masterpiece.

The story line is unique, the language through which it is conveyed is original and effective, and its vision profound.

Other reviewers have already given enough details. The book is so slight that to give any more might take away from the somber and disturbing pleasure of encountering them at the author's own gifted hands.

I can say without doubt this is a work of literary genius.

After the death of the father one of his children travels to a neighbouring town to buy a coffin: in this book the child describes the events during the first few days after the father has died. The children were raised by the father in cruel circumstances and virtually without contact with the outside world. Slowly but surely it becomes apparent that horror events have taken and are still taking place in the house. The language used in the book is very special as it is an odd mixture of outdated and harsh words. The child has been raised with the language of the father plus a library full of old fashioned books of which Spinoza, the bible and the memories of the Duc de Saint-Simon were the most important ones. This unusual language makes the book very special, but the story line was in my opinion rather thin, so 3½ stars.