Romane Lafore, a (not) very Catholic “Confession”

AGnès, the narrator of this Confessionwas born into the ultra-Catholic and conservative bourgeoisie, that of headbands and Peter Pan collars, of housewives and military boys who are married in white, with a bonus point if they have a name with a particle. She trained all her life for this role, then she met Hugues, the Saint-Cyrien. Perfect picture, except here’s the thing: after the marriage, the child does not come.

To deceive her anxiety and appease God, Agnès holds office hours for a Catholic anti-abortion site disguised as a support resource for women wishing to abort. In the name of Christ and life, she skillfully manipulates them to destroy their plans. Romane Lafore, who signs here her second novel after the very successful Beautiful Unfaithful (Stock, 2019), tells how the mechanics of this life go wrong, cell by cell, passing through the body.

Feverish precision

There is a feverish precision in Agnès’s meticulous self-observation, which evolves not only with her menstrual cycles, but also with her geographical movements – she follows her husband to Africa, whose smells, colors, and sensations drive her crazy. As she waits, this woman’s internal thermostat goes haywire, her biology escapes her. Here she is, tasting, oh devilish surprise, marital pleasure. Then eyeing a young missionary, animated by a guilty heat.

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