Men are trash. [Never Forget by Martin Michaud]
More than a month ago I wrote a review of this edition of Martin Michaud's Never Forget, a translation from original written in French, based on a 10% read. I was really excited because it was a translated work from an established series and the setting was going to take me on an imaginary tour of Canada, and more specifically Quebec, introducing me to the ways of the francophone province.
Off the bat, I really enjoyed Michaud's writing style. The eBook I read was over 500 pages, a daunting length, but the details of the setting were carefully laid out in at an appropriate pace. Detective stories and murder-mysteries promise shocking reveals and intricate networks of previously unknown histories and characters. Never Forget delivered. With a personable cast of characters, I found myself loving characters and hating others. That's really my big gripe with the story.
The titular character for whom the series of thrillers is named, Victor Lessard, is a trash man. Trash. I get it, he's a gruff detective with a troubled past and an anger issue, but he's also only trying and/or struggling to do the right thing for himself and his family. Fine. Doesn't change that he's trash.
Victor's routine sexualization of presented female characters was off-putting. The bartender whose breasts are oh-so visible, the hidden beauty of older women that is discovered from older photos or strong facial analysis. His partner, Jacinthe, is a lesbian and presumably not available to him as a sexual partner, but that doesn't stop him from imagining her in the lingerie she had bought for her partner. Sexualizing trash.
Victor, at once recognizing how blessed he is to be in a relationship with Nadja, a cop 12 years his junior, is also initially unwilling to compromise on any thoughts she might ever have of children, despite and because of his having two grown children. Nadja, who is a perfect helpmate in every sense, was the one in the wrong when she happened upon him beating her brother and took his side. Victor, with his history of drug addiction, his single parentage, and the years he carries on Nadja, is affronted that her brother would think she deserves better. Why? Because he's selfish trash. Yes, maybe they love each other and whatnot, but no one would say that on paper Victor is a great match for Nadja. Objectively it's an uneven match, where he comes out winning every time.
Victor's trashy character aside, the fat-shaming and clowning of Jacinthe, our other prominent female character was also off-putting. At times, my favorite character, Gilles Lemaire, was solving more of the case than Victor was. So many pivotal breaks in the case were Lemaire's but Victor was made out to be this intuitive star investigator. I ask a lot of things of cops in fiction, but they're generally highly idealized things so I shouldn't be as upset or let down as I am.
Overall, all these negative ticks still didn't much affect my enjoyment of the book. A bit generic and formulaic, I still really enjoyed Never Forget. This would be a good book to read on a long journey. The audiobook might be a good listen too. The show is looking interest as well.
Being that this is a translation of the third book in a series, with translations of preceding and subsequent texts to follow soon, I don't know how invested I am to continue the story. A story has to have loose threads left for me, threads that whisper of big conspiracies, for me to want to continue a series. Never Forget was set in an established universe, but I think what also makes this translation appealing is that it's a solid one-off. You get context clues for the events that might have taken place in previous books. Not much tension was left at the end of the story and I don't care to see his relationship reconciled. Especially since he started flirting heavily soon after his fight with Nadja, almost reaching the point of cheating. But if a following book was easily available, I'd likely read it.
All in all this is a 4-star read for me, with possibly a quarter or half point added in there. Would I recommend it? Yes. I also appreciate the inclusion of the author's music playlist at the end. I ended up adding all the songs I didn't already have. Seeing what music he listened to as he wrote the novel only further supports his skills. Good taste, good sense.
Off the bat, I really enjoyed Michaud's writing style. The eBook I read was over 500 pages, a daunting length, but the details of the setting were carefully laid out in at an appropriate pace. Detective stories and murder-mysteries promise shocking reveals and intricate networks of previously unknown histories and characters. Never Forget delivered. With a personable cast of characters, I found myself loving characters and hating others. That's really my big gripe with the story.
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| While this isn't the image of Lessard I had in mind, the pictures of the show have raised my interest. |
The titular character for whom the series of thrillers is named, Victor Lessard, is a trash man. Trash. I get it, he's a gruff detective with a troubled past and an anger issue, but he's also only trying and/or struggling to do the right thing for himself and his family. Fine. Doesn't change that he's trash.
Victor's routine sexualization of presented female characters was off-putting. The bartender whose breasts are oh-so visible, the hidden beauty of older women that is discovered from older photos or strong facial analysis. His partner, Jacinthe, is a lesbian and presumably not available to him as a sexual partner, but that doesn't stop him from imagining her in the lingerie she had bought for her partner. Sexualizing trash.
Victor, at once recognizing how blessed he is to be in a relationship with Nadja, a cop 12 years his junior, is also initially unwilling to compromise on any thoughts she might ever have of children, despite and because of his having two grown children. Nadja, who is a perfect helpmate in every sense, was the one in the wrong when she happened upon him beating her brother and took his side. Victor, with his history of drug addiction, his single parentage, and the years he carries on Nadja, is affronted that her brother would think she deserves better. Why? Because he's selfish trash. Yes, maybe they love each other and whatnot, but no one would say that on paper Victor is a great match for Nadja. Objectively it's an uneven match, where he comes out winning every time.
Victor's trashy character aside, the fat-shaming and clowning of Jacinthe, our other prominent female character was also off-putting. At times, my favorite character, Gilles Lemaire, was solving more of the case than Victor was. So many pivotal breaks in the case were Lemaire's but Victor was made out to be this intuitive star investigator. I ask a lot of things of cops in fiction, but they're generally highly idealized things so I shouldn't be as upset or let down as I am.
Overall, all these negative ticks still didn't much affect my enjoyment of the book. A bit generic and formulaic, I still really enjoyed Never Forget. This would be a good book to read on a long journey. The audiobook might be a good listen too. The show is looking interest as well.
Being that this is a translation of the third book in a series, with translations of preceding and subsequent texts to follow soon, I don't know how invested I am to continue the story. A story has to have loose threads left for me, threads that whisper of big conspiracies, for me to want to continue a series. Never Forget was set in an established universe, but I think what also makes this translation appealing is that it's a solid one-off. You get context clues for the events that might have taken place in previous books. Not much tension was left at the end of the story and I don't care to see his relationship reconciled. Especially since he started flirting heavily soon after his fight with Nadja, almost reaching the point of cheating. But if a following book was easily available, I'd likely read it.
All in all this is a 4-star read for me, with possibly a quarter or half point added in there. Would I recommend it? Yes. I also appreciate the inclusion of the author's music playlist at the end. I ended up adding all the songs I didn't already have. Seeing what music he listened to as he wrote the novel only further supports his skills. Good taste, good sense.
Never Forget was published February 11th, 2020 and is now available for purchase.
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