The easy life

The intense second novel by Prix Goncourt winner Duras (The Lover), first published in 1944 and translated into English for the first time, involves a young woman dealing with a series of tragedies. Francine Veyrenattes, 25, lives a staid life on her family farm, where she's close with her brother, Nicolas. After Francine learns their uncle Jêrome is having an affair with Nicolas's wife, she tells Nicolas and goads him into attacking Jêrome, which he does. Jêrome's subsequent death prompts more devastating consequences and Francine flee to a seaside town where she spends her grief-stricken days in an emotional haze, and nights alone in her hotel room, ruminating on her existence. She asks what it means to be a person, a woman, and a body in a world that seeks to destroy and devalue those things, as well as what it means to be a person with a story as opposed to having a simpler life without tragedy. Though some of the narration can feel a bit redundant, Duras (1914--1996) drops more than enough sharp revelations to carry the reader along. Though it's not quite at the level of her masterworks, it offers glimpses of the heights to come. (Dec.)

Published in 1944 and now translated into English for the first time, this second novel from the late Prix Goncourt--winning French author Duras (The Lover) recounts the difficult life of Francine Veyrenattes. The novel begins with Francine; her brother, Nicolas; and their uncle Jerome walking back to the family farm. Upon learning from Francine that Jerome was having an affair with Nicolas's wife, the betrayed husband severely beats his uncle. The next few days are spent with the family keeping vigil while Jerome dies. On the surface, the beating was precipitated by adultery but actually was the result of Jerome's loss of the family's money years earlier, thus forcing them into a life of meaningless toil on the isolated farm. Francine, impoverished at the age of 25, finds that she cannot go to university, has no marriage prospects, and is destined to live a life of boredom and drudgery. Jerome's death becomes the catalyst for other tragedies, which finally compels Francine to escape her unrelenting grief by traveling to a seaside resort. VERDICT While this early work is less taut than her best novels, Duras plumbs the harshness of Francine's life and the catastrophic effect that Francine's detachment has on those around her.--Jacqueline Snider