In his latest novel, Philippe Besson explores the drama of school bullying and its tragic consequences. A deeply intimate work, drawing on his memories and his experiences to bring to life a father confronted with the unacceptable.
In “Tell you about my son”, Philippe Besson tells the story of a teenager, Hugo, driven to suicide after suffering insidious and violent school bullying. To best embody the father of this child, the novelist immersed himself in the reality of families who experienced such a tragedy. “I listened a lot because obviously no parent is prepared for the death of their child, let alone their suicide, especially after learning that they were harassed for weeks and months”he confides.
The author has sought to accurately transcribe this “staze” which follows the loss of a child. “I wanted to know what it was: this experience of mourning, this madness of having lost a child, this astonishment, this grief, this anger, this guilt. I listened a lot to their awkwardness, their worries. Sometimes , they had difficulty saying the words, but my job is to find the words. So, I tried to find their voice.“, he adds.
A personal resonance
Although Philippe Besson is not a parent, his writing is touching in its accuracy. He owes this realism to his own experience. “I remembered myself, as a teenager, being harassed, molested, insulted, insulted”he explains. “I remember hearing the word ‘dirty faggot’ for the first time in a playground.”.
The writer also evokes his father, who, at the time, had been distraught: “I remember my father who didn't see, who didn't look, who didn't understand. I remember what I tried to tell him and what he didn't understand. When I I ended up letting a few clues slip, he was helpless. I had never seen my father in disarray. For me, it was a block of certainty and virility. seen cracking”.
This novel is therefore also a tribute to his own father: “I remember what he did at that moment, what he tried to try to save the child that I was. He succeeded, in fact, by taking me to dialogue, towards culture, towards books and it is in homage to him, and to all those I met, that I wanted to talk about this love..
An intimate and universal work
With this novel, Philippe Besson confirms his status as an “intimate novelist”. It tells not only of pain, but also of love, resilience and the need to continue living for those left behind. “We stand up for the living”he summarizes, evoking the role of the younger brother, Enzo, in the story.
Finally, this book gives a voice to those who don't have one. “This is perhaps the role of novelists: to find the words for those who cannot find them”concludes the author.
Philippe Besson writer book novel
