Agnes Desarthe's Chez Moi is the French author's first novel to be published in the US. It's a surprising novel and not entirely what I expected. Somehow, though, a tiny, hole-in-the-wall bistro in Paris was the perfect setting for Myriam's life to unfold.
Forty-three year old Myriam is a very prickly character. I wasn't sure at first if I would like her or be able to warm up to her, but she grew on me as the story developed. She carries around a lot of emotional baggage with her and won't let anyone get too close. As a younger woman she led a very conventional life as a wife and mother, until something horrible happened. Something no one can forgive her for, least of all herself. Desarthe takes her time, or maybe Myriam does, in revealing her secrets to us. And there are no grand, dramatic scenes. It's all done very subtly, if you read too quickly you might miss it.
Myriam may have had a conventional beginning, but her recent life is anything but. She's really a bit of a misfit, and it seems other misfits understand her best--like her neighbor Vincent, a florist, who incongruously has has halitosis breath. Or Ben, a student who seems to be good at everything yet seems so completely alone. Myriam fell into work as a cook for a circus, but when they moved on she couldn't go with them. At loose ends she cons a bank into loaning her money in order to open a restaurant. Not formally trained, she still has a knack for food and making the most tempting creations. There was an interview with Desarthe included in the book, and she writes:
"The reason why food is so important in the novel is because it allows the perfect give-and-take relationship that will always be missing in art. Myriam is a chef because she has a problem with desire. Cooking is the only way she has found to give herself to others without being too threatening. In France the book is called Eat Me. The sexual tension is made much more obvious than in the English title."
Not only is the restaurant her work, but it's also Myriam's home. She sleeps on the banquette and bathes in the big kitchen sink. Her money will barely stretch to cover the bills. I sort of wondered how she would manage to keep what little she had together. It's only through her expertise in cooking and the very efficient help of Ben that not only does she manage, but her restaurant becomes a small success. As the restaurant begins to succeed, so too does Myriam's life also start transforming. Even she will finally believe she deserves a second chance in life and love.
For such a slender novel, Desarthe packs a mighty little punch. I fear the more philosophical elements of the story were lost on me, but I could certainly appreciate the fact that Myriam kept with her a small library of 33 books, which were very comfortably dropped into the story. This book was a surprise, but it was a nice surprise. I hope more of Desarthe's work will be translated/published in the US. And isn't the cover great? I know all about not judging a book by its cover, but the cover is what first drew me to the book!