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Original title: Insecte
Author: Claire Castillon
Series: Cotidianul Collection, Literatura #63
Printed by: Universe Publishing House, Inc, 2008
Release year: 2006
Similar to: nothing actually; probably anything signed Chuck Palahniuc?
Recommended for: those with a strong heart and a healthy stomach
Rating: ✮✮✮
Category: WTF books
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From the beginning…____________________________________________________________________________
I grabed this book from my personal library. It looked slim and like an easy going read. Well, it read fast, as for the easy going… I would say it was a tough to digest kind of a book. I still don’t know my true feelings regarding it.
Mini summary__________________________________________________________________________________
Actually, this book contains short stories, all with the same common element: mother and daughter. Each story has the same main subject, either told by the mother or the daughter. I will list the stories here, in case you wish to read only one of them, to see what this collection of short stories is really about:
- Am spus una – the first one I read; left me cripled for life
- Insecta
- Un hanorac și cizme îmblănite
- Prietena mea cea mai bună
- Au băut șampanie la restaurant
- Ora corespondenței
- Găsim noi o soluție
- O să fii femeie, fata mea
- Mincinoasa
- Un bebeluș roz
- Ruptura
- Te sărutăm cu drag
- Munchhausen prin procură
- Rușinea
- Tata nu e rău, mamă
- Bătaia
- Înapoiata
- Mama nu moare niciodată
- Zece operații în zece ani
Now, as I was writing the titles, I remembered a bit of each and every one of them, and it’s still a traumatic experience.
And this is it: it seems like a very cute story told by a mother or a child. It tells stories from their lives, but everything so serene and innocent that it actually gives nightmares. I wouldn’t know what other book made me feel this way. Maybe one where a sociopath tells jokes while killing somebody? I don’t know, something along those lines.
But, at the end of the story, usually in the last 2-3 rows, something happens that leaves you with your mouth open, yelling a very strong What. The. Frack?! I am not religious, but I swear I almost made the cross sign at some of the endings.
Everything is so sadistic that I honestly can’t believe the author is still, you know, sane after writing such things. Or maybe she wasn’t sane to begin with. I mean… WTF?
On some characters _________________________________________________________________________
They aren’t really characters per se, I mean, there are some without a name. And all of them are… serene and psychopats. If anybody else read this book, please do tell me if I am the crazy one, or all of these characters are literally psychopats.
So, how about the author? ______________________________________________________________________
Based on what the back cover says, Claire Castillon is not that sane. Apparently, she sent a literary critic a box filled with animal testicles. So… yes.
Even though I am intrigued and would like to read her other literary creations, I am a bit afraid that her way of telling stories might rub off on me. Don’t get me wrong, it takes a lot of guts to let such thoughts form inside your head, and a huge amount of courage and self awarness to actually make them public, and based on this she has my utmost respect. Furthermore, I enjoyed her way of writing but… There’s something embarassing and uncomfortable to thing about what she wrote. I don’t think this is supposed to be the purpose of a book. Although I do appreciate her work, I’m afraid my time reading horror mother-daughter relationship stories is over.
And to stop the babbling, here are some of her other creations:
- Le Grenier, 2000
- La Reine Claude, 2002
- Pourquoi tu m’aimes pas?, 2003
- Insecte, 2006
- On n’empêche pas un petit cœur d’aimer, 2007
- Les Bulles, 2010
- Eux, 2014
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