«Malevil», Robert Merle

If you want to read an interesting, well-written and non-dark, post-apocalyptic book, then take a shot at "Malville.

Malville is an ancient castle, where the characters of the novel of the same name settled down after the Incident (that's the name of the global destructive event).

The book, frankly, quite amused me. For some reason I often remember the French films of the 70s with the handsome Jean Marais, Alain Delon and the charming Belmondo. The book was written in 1972. And it reeks of that time, there's no getting around it.

Born in Tebessa located in ,what was then, the French colony of Algeria. Robert Merle and his family moved to France in 1918. Merle wrote in many styles and won the Prix Goncourt for his novel Week-end à Zuydcoote. He has also written a 13 book series of historical novels, Fortune de France. Recreating 16th and 17th century France through the eyes of a fictitious Protestant doctor turned spy, he went so far as to write it in the period's French making it virtually untranslatable.

I liked that there was no political overtones in the novel about someone dropping an atomic bomb on France. They just did, that's all. Who, why? - It was not important for the novel, it was not in the author's interest. Nor was it in mine. And to guess and build some versions of who the main organizer of the apocalypse the author obviously did not want.

But what will be the life of a group of people after the terrible, though distant, explosion the author has suggested and shown us wonderfully. And in a very French way. The novel is equipped with wonderful features of French writing. The reader will immediately see and feel it. In my opinion, the main thing - the unity of philosophy, humor, drama and eroticism.

The main character is Emmanuel, the owner of the castle of Malville. On his behalf, and on his behalf, and the narrative. Emmanuel ... Oh, well, he is such a MACHO: handsome, manly, noble, educated and ... single. Ah, a woman's dream! They - absolutely raznogozvozrastnyh - and flatter him. And love of heart and body, of course, reigns everywhere. Even in such an extreme situation as an apocalypse!

Here is an interesting point of view on love of the heart and love of the body for the protagonist. And all his weaknesses with regard to the weaker sex Emmanuel explains perfectly. It was fun to read, by golly! Several times I could not help smiling, outright laughter or my ladies pffffff... Emmanuel is an absolute opponent of violence (I was very pleased with this) and all his flings and romances take place with the absolute consent of M and W. He builds on this and a new post-apocalyptic society, very similar to the primitive communal society. As it happens, there are six healthy men and one old woman left in Malville after the fateful day. And when some time later, a woman appears in Malville - the incarnation of the new Eve, that is beautiful, with lush soft forms and waaaaaay the dream of many men, that is mute, Emmanuel and his companions are faced with a question: who will have the happiness to allow (sorry, but there is no other way to say it) the physiological need to embrace the village beauty? How it was decided and how it all evolved further, I'm not going to tell, of course. And told this little and not so significant episode solely to show how gracefully (I smile) the author got out of a delicate situation. Interesting...entertaining...

Malville, it must be said, lived well. Although Robert Merle wrote about hunger, what do Malvillians know about hunger (sigh). They had plenty of wine in the big cellar, hanging smoked hams and other supplies. Livestock, poultry, horses have survived. But unless there was an organizing force, the Malvillians could slide into the state of the feral, deranged people they had met since. Such an organizer, a leader, was Emmanuel.

And everything would have been fine if, in the nearby place of La Roque, a handful of people who also survived the Incident had not been led by a certain Fulbert. He, too, is handsome, courageous, brave. But his rule (there is no other way to put it) is based on authoritarian pressure, physical violence and the use of faith, religion to suppress the will of the inhabitants.

It was the struggle of Emmanuel and his associates for Malville and the good for La Roque that provided the basis for the novel Malville.

To summarize, I will say about the pluses of the novel: the novel is very easy and interesting to read. It is more of an adventure novel with a fantastic beginning. Cute bright characters, an unconventional for the time of writing plot will not leave indifferent.

The shortcomings include some inconsistencies in the details. But all this is easily forgiven, because the book is, in general, great!

This article was sponsored by Douglas Owen