The Eskimo Solution by Pascal Garnier

 


Thanks to Gallic Books, twelve novels by Pascal Garnier are currently available in English - all crime noir, all existential.

By this reviewer's judgement, The Eskimo Solution is the most unique of the twelve since it features two interrelated stories: 1) an author of children's books striking out to write his first thriller, a tale of murder; 2) the murder tale itself as a work-in-progress.

The Eskimo Solution is one intricately plotted novel with surprises at every curve and twist. Among the pleasures a reader will discover turning the pages is the way in which the evolving tale of murder overlaps with the actual happenings surrounding the writer and those unfolding real life events, in turn, influencing the author's tale.

Sound complicated? Although the first chapter might appear to be a bit knotty (the novel is 21 chapters long), once a reader clicks into the rhythm of the two intertwining plots, The Eskimo Solution makes for an engaging, even entertaining, read.

As a nod of respect to Pascal Garnier, I'll make an immediate shift from duel plot development to a quintet of Eskimo themes:

Garnier Gambit - "Every day at the same time I go up to my study, read over these pages and ask myself, 'What's the point of writing a story I already know of by heart?'" Ha! I wouldn't be surprised if Pascal Garnier injected a measure of his own writing experience into that of the tale's narrator/writer. And, yes, Eskimo is written in the first-person, placing us squarely in the mind of our writer, a gent I'll call Jules.

Any reader of Pascal Garnier will know all his crime novels are singular and unpredictable, the exact opposite of following a set formula (or, as Jules puts it, "a story I already know of by heart"). I can picture Pascal at his keyboard, keeping one step ahead of his readers, making sure even he as author is surprised at his characters acting in ways unforeseen or highly erratic.

The Reality of Old Age - "He kills people's parents the way Eskimos leave their elders on a patch of ice because . . . it's natural, ecologically sound, a lot more humane and far more economical then endlessly prolonging their suffering in a dismal nursing home." So Jules informs his editor about Louis, the main character in the book he's writing.

Interlaced throughout the novel are reflections by both Jules and Louis on what it means to grow old and die. At one point while visiting the room of a dying man, Jules muses "death is yellow, and smells of vanilla." A few moments later, Jules takes a closer look at the sickly oldster. "His mouth sends out a few bubbles of soapy washing-up water and his chicken-skin hands quiver before resting flat against the sheets."

Without doubt, among the most critical issues of our modern world: How much medical intervention should be devoted to keeping the elderly quivering their chicken-skin hands as they lie in bed struggling for breath?

Literary Lazybones - "I've been able to rent a cottage by the sea from a painter friend of mine, where I've spent the past two months yawning so hard I've almost dislocated my jaw." We're given various glimpses into the everyday cadence of Jules the creative literary artist, even when Jules is being anything but productive. "I love napping on the beach, sheltered from the wind, leaning back against the jetty, my feet buried in the sand, hands in my jacket pockets, face to the sun. Slow explosions of red, green and yellow behind my eyelids."

Hang easy, dangle loose, Jules. Society might call you a slugabed or deadbeat but many artsy types appreciate a time of do-nothing can reinvigorate one's creative juices.

Snags and More Snags - "I could have written more but Hélène rang. Wants to take me on a three-day trip to England." Joyce Carol Oats never tires of saying a writer's biggest challenge is being interrupted by other people. Certainly Jules must deal with a slug of interruptions - his neighbors, his girlfriend's daughter, his lifetime friend. And please keep in mind we're talking Pascal Garnier crime noir here, meaning not everybody gets out alive.

Oh, No! - "Our best hope is for an epidemic to wipe out the old people this winter." Both Jules and Louis can clearly see one of the unsettling patterns of modern society: old people tend to have more money then they can possibly spend while the people who could really use the money - the young - must struggle. Of course, that reference to an epidemic is more than a tad unnerving here in Spring 2020.

Again, I've focused on several key themes. I'll leave the crime and the noir elements to each reader.



Jules encounters yet again another obstacle to his writing. "I won't trust modern technology until it's 100 per cent reliable, which is yet to be the case. My typewriter has packed up - it's gone mad, thrown the tabulation all over the place, messed up the line spacing, basically added to the general disarray. I have to try to remind myself that machines are supposed to be at the service of men, though cracking the whip isn't likely to fix a typewriter. I don't get on well with machines. I don't know why - it's a curse."


French novelist Pascal Garnier, 1949-2010