The writer Valérie Gans rejects the unique thinking of our time. She poses The Forbidden Question (title of her novel) through Une Autre Voix (name of the publishing house she has just founded). Decryption.
It takes courage to take the risk of opening a new publishing house in 2024, a sad time when books sell less and less every year. Valérie Gans has courage. Better ! His approach involves combative boldness in the face of the formidable adversity of progressive and liberal right-thinking. Une Autre Voix addresses all societal subjects without ever falling into single-minded thinking.
A book… A story… A statement…
Galéjade… Bullshit… Claptrap… Whatever the name we give it, a lie always runs faster than the truth, to the point that “not to lie” is an axiom that parents use with their children, and only near them, nowhere else; so we never seriously ask an adult to just tell the truth, since no one can honestly affirm that they never lie. And hell! that life would be sad without lies. In The forbidden question, Valérie Gans tells precisely the story of a lie. Noses grow longer as the untruths come up… Hypocrisy sets in… The imposture takes shape… What the author summarizes in these terms (page 157): “ …the only one [question] who should interest us is: who is this girl who dares to call into question everything we have been fighting for for two decades? Who is she to sow doubt on the truth thanks to us proven (…) that men are predators? And we should be wary of them, instead of trying to find excuses for them! »
Furthermore, since MeToo, the question often asked about men is: What if it were true?… Never, or too rarely: What if it were false?… In the digital age, pointing fingers is no longer enough, we must now accuse by multiplying stone throwing on social media. And ! Of course. Above all, do not let the opposing party defend themselves. Page 204: “ But I don’t understand, asks Pauline. If there was nothing between him and you, if nothing happened, why did you denounce him? (…) Because of shame. It wasn’t him who attacked me, it was me… Do you understand? » Perhaps women will understand. And again! Men much less so. They are more crude – not to be confused with brutal – and have difficulty lying while putting (false) reason on their side. Besides, no man has enough memory to succeed in lying, at least not as well as women because…
The last five pages
…contrary to popular belief, the biggest lies are female. Starting with that of Isolde to the detriment of Tristan who, out of jealousy – this is almost always the case! – makes him believe that the approaching boat has a black sail and not a white one… Let us also note the falsehoods of Cassandra… And those of Apate, minor goddess of the Greek pantheon, she is however one of the worst evils contained in the box of Pandora… Then Cleopatra’s duplicity towards Marc-Antoine… Without forgetting Scarlett O’Hara, shameless liar to win her case with the man of her desires… Come on! One last one. Not the least. Ève Lecain under the pen of Frédéric Dard in You are the venom; perhaps the biggest lie in French-speaking literature… Point in common with The forbidden question : Don’t miss the first five pages… And definitely don’t tell the last five…
Or ? … When ? … How ? …
The characteristic of a literary chronicle is not to tell in detail the story it is talking about. Just encourage its discovery. The forbidden question is a paving stone, not only in the pond of current publications, but also and above all in the brackish water of this literary season. Maybe a revival. Or not. The reader will judge. To do this, you will need to order the book directly from Une Autre Voix editions. Indeed. In order to prevent works from being destroyed and fueling publishing waste, Une Autre Voix has chosen to bypass the traditional distribution system. This is why – at least for the moment – none of their publications are available in bookstores. Everything is bought online. And Above all! Don’t miss the first five pages… Don’t tell the last five… Happy reading.
Jérôme ENEZ-VRIAD
© October 2024 – Bretagne Actuelle & JE-V. Publishing
The forbidden question, a novel by Valérie Gans published by Une Autre Voix – 207 pages – 31.00 Only on sale here
