there are no losses in the kingdom of childhood

only the murmur of plotted revenge

Fiction, 2022

In a claustrophobic village in the French countryside, where the grass is rarely green, and faces are always dirty, two young girls decide to write a novel that will propel them to fame. Fabienne and Agnès’ reach this goal out of a) sheer boredom and b) to test the possibilities of their skills. And so, Fabienne—who hasn’t learnt to read or write—dictates, and Agnès—whose handwriting was always praised in school—dutifully transcribes. Their first body of work is a collection of stories about a village similar to theirs, where babies die of mysterious diseases and animals are better fed than people. Fabienne convinces M. Deveaux, the recently widowed local postmaster, to edit the stories in exchange for some (undeserved) credit.  

The unthinkable happens: the stories are published to the delight of readers and critics in Paris who pride themselves on having unearthed a poor, child prodigy. Except Fabienne’s name is not on the book, replaced by that of M. Deveaux and Agnès. It’s a calculated decision on Fabienne’s insistence; the book has a better chance of being published without anyone thinking that a girl who can’t write is a fantastic storyteller. Besides, Agnès and Fabienne are so attached that they’re basically the same person, sharing wins and losses equally. Right?

Amid the pastoral sensory overload of pungent barns and hard bread, The Book of Goose is a story about power. Fabienne controls Agnès, both in hand and mind, yet Agnès, who finds herself in the new life of a “literary star”, begins to find agency of her own, and has no idea what to do with it. What follows is a tale of all-consuming girlhood love and fierce manipulation, under the blanket of fragile little jeunes filles. Yiyun Li is a master of the simple story and achieves what feels impossible: adding a striking new dimension to the everyday. Upon finishing it, I held it close for a few minutes before ruefully placing it back on the shelf. 

Song - Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow

Film - Where Is the Friend’s House?