Le garçon qui aimait les bébés
(The boy who liked babies) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
It all begins when fifteen-year-old Martin decides to do his work experience in a nursery. Despite teasing from friends and family, he sticks to his guns and the experience changes his life as he realises he really loves babies (sometimes he even catches himself saying “my” babies). The following year is just as important, as Martin meets Louise. When Louise falls pregnant, Martin already loves the baby before it is born, just as he would have loved a little sister. Paying little heed to the nursery nurses’ warnings and his parents’ doubts, he decides to take the baby on alone when Louise gives it up at birth. With the help of his grandmother, Martin ignores appearances and clichés to overcome everyone’s misgivings and become the father he always dreamed of being. [Source: Ricochet]
Edited by: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Comment:
A short novel in the form of a diary and a journey back in time. Every chapter opens with the author playing with the tenses, “there is, there was, there will be,” like a journey through the emotions associated with birth, love, and a childhood over too soon. It veers from laughter and hatred to surprises and battles, echoing the emotions Martin, the narrator. Rachel Hausfater’s brief chapters wittily – sometimes overly naïvely so – recount his journey from adolescence to young fatherhood with a strikingly true voice. A successful evocation. [Source: Ricochet]. A novel for confident readers.