CocciClelia, bookstagrammer and contributor to the 20 Minutes Books reading group, recommends “Tuer le temps” by Paul Joubert, published on May 2, 2024 by Éditions l’Archipel.
His favorite quote:
“ “If I told you that we cannot change History, I should have clarified that we cannot change the course of History. On the other hand, within this great flow, many Things are interchangeable, starting with us humans.” »
Why this book?
- Because when death comes, there is no explanation of the “after”. Paul Joubert therefore decides with this novel to offer us an answer, but only for those who have decided to leave life. The statement is original and opens up multiple questions. The transmission of knowledge through the ages seems to be the fundamental theme for the author. Onto this theme will be added the hypothesis of a jump into the past after death. The metaphor of death and strong times well presented in the title Kill time.
- Because the author doesn’t stop at death. It clearly counterbalances, alongside its metaphor, the theme of the sustainability of knowledge and the necessity of its transmission. But since this transmission is not obvious, and it encounters many problems, and even many contrary people, it creates the perfect atmosphere for an investigation, with suspense over time. So a novel with several reading levels, which makes it all the more exciting. A temporal stroll with a real background, for a first novel it is worth highlighting.
The essentials in 2 minutes
The plot. Following her suicide, Edith unwittingly discovers that after this refusal of life, we take a leap into the past. She therefore seeks to improve this past thanks to her knowledge of the future, but not everyone will be of this opinion and a suspenseful, thrilling investigation will ensue.
Characters. Edith, a young Parisian woman, around thirty years old in 2080, still found in her thirties in 1905.
Places. Paris, and more precisely the Bastille district, in 2080 at the beginning of the story then in 1905.
The time. It all begins in 2080, then the story continues in 1905.
The author. Paul Joubert made himself known on social networks thanks to his account Grosso modo, which brings together the walks of his imagination where he brings out the poetry of everyday life in Paris and in different cities. Kill time is his first novel, a new stroll this time through time
This book was read with curiosity. Science fiction and fantasy are not my favorite reading, but the journeys into the past in this book fascinated me. Fluid, poetic writing in the descriptions. An investigation with very well maintained suspense. A quirky book ideal for killing time.
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