L'été Meurtrier

by Sébastien Japrisot

«J'ai dit d'accord.Je suis facilement d'accord sur les choses. Enfin, je l'étais avec Elle. Une fois, je lui ai donné une gifle et, une fois, je l'ai battue. Et puis, je disais d'accord. Je ne comprends même plus ce que je raconte. Il n'y a qu'à mes frères que je sais parler, surtout le cadet, Michel. On l'appelle Mickey. Il charrie du bois sur un vieux Renault. Il va trop vite, il est con comme un verre à dents.»Lisez la suite. Ce roman vous tiendra en haleine jusqu'au bout...

Genres: France, Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Thriller, French Literature, Noir

433 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Sébastien Japrisot was a French author, screenwriter and film director, born in Marseille. His pseudonym was an anagram of Jean-Baptiste Rossi, his real name. Japrisot has been nicknamed "the Graham Greene of France".
Famous in the Francophony, he was little known in the English-speaking world, though a number of his novels have been translated into English and have been made into films.
His first novel, Les mal partis was written at the age of 16 and published under his real name (see also author profile of Jean-Baptiste Rossi).

Reviews

[John King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been rereading all of Japrisot again and L'ete meurtrier is my favorite. The narrative is layered, being told by four different characters, each one adding their own different perspective. For first time readers it takes nearly half the book understand exactly where it's going but it's sure fun and suspenseful getting there. The ending has many surprises for both the main characters, Elle and Pin Pon, and of course for the reader. A great book which also gives a taste village life in 1976 Provence.
The 1983 movie is also very good. Japrisot wrote the screenplay and it's very faithful to the book. I was in the middle of my first reading of the English translation, One Deadly Summer, when a friend suggested we go to the movies. We went into a theater on 3rd Avenue of a French film having its New York premiere. I didn't pay much attention to the title, L'ete meurtrier. After about thirty minutes I said to my friend, "I can't believe this. I'm reading this book right now!" Now that's a coincidence.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilly tale about a promiscuous, inarticulate, amoral, drop-dead gorgeous girl who doesn’t flinch at the prospect of fucking and killing every man she meets, all held under the phony guise of vindicating a terrible injustice done to her mother. Needless to say she’s also schizo and throws fits periodically, just like Megan Fox on a bad day. Nobody does erotic noir (noirotica?) better than the French, and this is as sexy and deadly as it gets.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a slow burn of a crime novel. The story is told from numerous perspectives, all of which add to the increasing tension. Set in a small French village, it tells the story of how Elle goes down one path only for the reader to discover that something was amiss right from the get go. There is Ping Pong, the loving and hapless man she gets close to, his aunt who also abets the crime and Elle's mother, the main protagonist in the evolving story. All of the factors come together except for the one big twist at the end - which is brilliant!

Having read The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun last year I was keen to read more by the author. And I wasn't disappointed! I'll definitely pick up more titles by this author. So glad I found him!

[Keith Currie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a superb novel this is! Set in Alpes-Maritimes in France in the 1970s it is a story of lust and revenge which leads the reader through a gamut of thoughts and emotions and fools him or her at every turn. Japrisot allows his story to be told through the mouths of the protagonists and signposts them as 'Executioner', 'Victim', 'Witness' etc. He tells no lies but allows us to fall into the same traps as the participants of the events which follow. This is really the story of two deadly summers, not one, but you will need to read to the deeply ironic end to find out why. In common with all his other novels, Japrisot can find humanity in the most deeply flawed of human beings. His characterisation is wholly convincing, his plotting so sharp it hurts. This is one of the best thrillers I have ever read.

[Naksed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ayant lu ce livre il ya au moins vingt ans, je ne sais pas si j'aurais les mêmes sentiments à sa lecture aujourd'hui. Je me souviens à l'époque d'avoir vraiment aimé ce roman, ainsi que le film avec Isabelle Adjani. Les rebondissements de cette histoire m'avait complètement choqué et captivé. Je me rappelle aussi que le style de l'écrivain m'avait bien plu. Mes goûts ont bien sûr beaucoup changé depuis. Je laisse une évaluation positive basée sur ma mémoire et mon souvenir d'avoir passé quelques heures agréables avec cet été meurtrier, il ya quelques siècles de ça :-)

[Two Envelopes And A Phone · Rating 4 out of 5]

If The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun was 4.5 stars rounded down, this is 3.5 stars rounded up. There was an aura about this one that suggested it would be a noir revenge trip indistinguishable from magic, and sad to say that didn't quite happen. Simply - the book is too slow moving, and does a bit too much domestic. Walks, and drives, and breakfasts, and waving to the street full of neighbours, and weekend excursions, and hand-holding. Sure, attached to this is some slow-burn set-up for where it's all going, and it's clear that Elle has an agenda that is moving inexorably forward with every quiet conversation, or gift passed along. But this was a surprise entry on my Not Enough Happens list.

Still, Elle is fascinating. A few sudden new facts in her life, and she's on to the identities of those men who did the unspeakable to her mother, all those years ago. So, just about everything that happens in the book is Elle at work even when she's at play, expanding her social circle, flirting or doing falling in love simulations, admiring any scenery or towns or villages that are quite nice but actually needed to be visited so she can see a face or ask a few more questions. The book shifts from viewpoint to viewpoint, and although it is intriguing to get reactions to Elle from some of those around her who have no idea who she really is, of course the most fascinating sections are when we share Elle's thoughts. She has a damaged, clever brain, and an emotional life in harness. Her most direct thoughts are about manipulating, and murder.

I liked this, for sure. My direct thoughts were never boredom or next-book, but it simmers and murmurs nastiness for a long time, before it ramps up for the big finale, which was quite impressive. This lacks an inventiveness I loved in The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun, which was more fun and suspenseful throughout. I mean, it's a totally different premise - but since this supposedly simple "revenge thriller" was leading up to some shocking twists at the end, I can't help feeling that Lady/Car/Glasses/Gun was superior, because it did more of that more often. I will say that if you're expecting some kind of revenge-driven killing spree with a corpse routinely dropping every 50 pages or so...uh, no. No, this is more...Hamlet. And wait, what did I rate Hamlet...?

[Tim Orfanos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ο Ζαπριζό είναι από τους συγγραφείς αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας που διχάζει, συνεχώς, με τα βιβλία του. Ο κεντρικός άξονας της ιστορίας θυμίζει το 'Η νύφη φορούσε μαύρα' του Woolrich, ενώ το πολύ σοβαρό θέμα του ομαδικού βιασμού μιας γυναίκας δημιουργεί ιδιαίτερη αίσθηση στους αναγνώστες - ωστόσο, η αχρείαστη 'συγγραφική' φλυαρία και η έλλειψη μέτρου και ξεκάθαρου στόχου στη πλοκή 'θαμπώνουν' τις προθέσεις και την προσωπικότητα των ηρώων με αποτέλεσμα να 'νοθεύεται' η ουσία του μυθιστορήματος και να δυσκολεύει η ανάγνωσή του.

Βαθμολογία: 3/5 ή 6/10.

Y.Γ.: H βραβευμένη ταινία του Ζαν Μπεκέρ 'Φονικό καλοκαίρι' (1983) με την Ιζαμπέλ Ατζανί και τον Αλέν Σουσόν βασίστηκε στο βιβλίο, και είναι πιο ολοκληρωμένη και ενδιαφέρουσα από το μυθιστόρημα (προσωπική άποψη).

[vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has its faults and takes you a while to make sense of everything that's going on, but it's a very cleverly constructed tale and the setting and sultry atmosphere are addictive! Once it had me in its grip, I couldn't put it down.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Одна из лучших книг о детской травме, написанная задолго до того, как тема стала модной. На мой взгляд - лучшая.

У Жапризо уникальный талант - дать читателю пережить эмоции героев. В «Убийственном лете» несколько рассказчиков и каждый как будто говорит только с тобой, так, что становится невозможно жалко и рассказчика, и остальных. Хотела написать «остальных персонажей», но они у Жапризо не персонажи, а реальные, живые люди, которых по мере чтения мы узнаем, начинаем понимать и сопереживать. А в конце сердце читателя (мое точно) просто разрывается, как и у героев романа.

[Ana Gigauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

რომანი შურისძიებაზე, შეცდომით შურისძიებაზე.

სებასტიან ჟაპრიზოს რომანის წაკითხვა ჩემთვის ექსპერიმენტული იყო და ნაკლები მოლოდინებით წაკითხვამ კიდევ უფრო საინტერესო გახადა. ეს არის წიგნი, რომელშიც შეიძლება იპოვო თანაგრძნობა და სიმშვიდე. დასასრულიც იმდენად მომხიბვლელია, რომ დიდხანს გაფიქრებს წაკითხულ ისტორიაზე და გარკვეული პერიოდი ახალი წიგნის წაკითხვის სურვილს მოგიკლავს.

მთავარია ზაფხულმა არ მოგკლას.

[Lyudmila Marlier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Какая-то неуловимая грань между пиздецом и интригой. Не смогла определиться даже в финале

[Claudine Pringle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je suis restée captivée du début à la fin!

[Karellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember borrowing this from the local library and thinking - I hope none of the usual aged clientele reads this. Only reason I loaned it was because I’d watched the film directed by Jean Becker which featured a mesmerising performance from Isabelle Adjani as Elle, the young woman who sets out to avenge the rape of her mother. Unfortunately the book isn’t as good but maybe it’s because I’d seen the film first? One can never tell with these things. Anyway, I can definitely recommend the film, but maybe not this.

[Adeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unsettling, claustrophobic slow burn of a psychological thriller that packs unexpected twists until the very last line. Actually 'thriller' doesn't feel like the right descriptive for a book so incredibly clever and layered.

Japrisot's ability to tell a story through various characters, none of them fully reliable, is staggering. His setting of a small, judgmental Provence village over the course of a hot summer lingered long after I finished the book. Beyond even the main family secret and twists, the highlight for me was Japrisot's writing of Elle/Eliane as the promiscuous character who unabashedly enjoys sex and uses it to manipulate, while Pin-Pon's love for her turns from naive and innocent to obsessive jealousy. I can't think of another believable female perspective written so well by a male author.

[Анна Зубович · Rating 5 out of 5]

Моя третья книга Автора. Уже по традиции- начинать читать с оглавления!
Супер закрученный, супер 18+, супер французский, супер летний, супер по убийствам роман.
И как и в предыдущих книгах - всё понятно становится буквально на последних страницах.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slow burner, but the ending is brilliant.

[Mélanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un roman qu'on ne peut plus lâcher ! Jusqu'à la dernière page, Japrisot m'a tenu en haleine.

[Cédric Lehoux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le livre prend son temps pour démarrer, mais quand ça décolle enfin, ça décoiffe!

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow burning and beautifully written psychological thriller which I took my time reading, so absorbing was it. Not without fault but for the most part highly compelling.

Full review to follow

[maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

meilleur roman policier que j’ai lu jusqu’à date.

[Frank Ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters, well paced, and a plot that keeps you wondering what's going on until the end.

[Magnus Stanke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing page turner, unputdownable. I've only started reading Sébastien Japrisot's books about a year ago. I don't know what took me so long to find him. I'd seen practically all the film adapations and all but one made very good films. Now I've been catching up in a hurry. Éte meurtrier is the fourth of his books I've read, and it's a huge step forward (although the others were good too). It's much more than a thriller (although that is my favourite genre).
My initial fears that the book had dated badly and was going to be exploitative etc. were thankfully unfounded. On the contrary. The characterisation is precise and insightful, the prose compelling, and the entire experience wholly satisfying.
Highly recommended

[Magnus Stanke · Rating 5 out of 5]

(J'ai lu cette superbe bouquin en francais, mais je sais plus ecrire en francais, alors j'ecrit en anglais...)

An amazing page turner, unputdownable. I've only started reading Sébastien Japrisot's books about a year ago. I don't know what took me so long to find him. I'd seen practically all the film adapations and all but one made very good films. Now I've been catching up in a hurry. Éte meurtrier is the fourth of his books I've read, and it's a huge step forward (although the others were good too). It's much more than a thriller (although that is my favourite genre).
My initial fears that the book had dated badly and was going to be exploitative etc. were thankfully unfounded. On the contrary. The characterisation is precise and insightful, the prose compelling, and the entire experience wholly satisfying.
Highly recommended.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading the book, I didn't really know what to feel. It was so complicated at times, and the perspective switches made it very hard to move on. However, they were necessary to understand the entire story.

At times, I've held my breath, thinking 'NO, that can't be it'
Horrible things happened, strange people were represented, which made it rather hard to empathise with them, especially with 'Elle'.

If it wasn't for school, I would've never read this book, but it is one of the better works we've had to deal with, and I'm glad I had to finish it.

[Pirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisted and dark thriller which was made into an equally good film starring Alain Souchon, Isabelle Adjani, Francois Cluzet and Michel Galabru. Riveting but painful and upsetting tale about events of yesteryear and revenge in the present which for this book is the mid 70's in the back of beyond of France. Gripping and well written but if you are looking for an upbeat holiday read this is not it, which is to say also that unlike most books one reads on holiday it is one that stays in the mind long after you have finished it.

[anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une écriture incroyable. La voix d'Elle notamment est un tour de force. Je vais désormais utiliser des métaphores de durée sorties tout droit de ce livre.

J'ai (malheureusement) un petit problème avec le serre-billets, dont on ne sait finalement pas comment la mère a pu le voir, vu que..., et ça me chiffonne vraiment. Mais dès que quelqu'un m'explique, ce livre aura 5 étoiles. Je suis comme ça.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai dévoré ce livre. L'histoire est haletante du début à la fin. Les personnages très bien étudiés. Le dénouement laisse sans voix. Comme un bon film (bon oui c'est dur de ne pas penser à Isabelle Adjani quand on le lit). Bref, j'ai adoré.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sad and devasting end gives something to think about: never hide anything from those you love.

[Aaron Martz · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are dozens of mesmerizing passages in this book, and it is brimming with the minutiae of life, and both its main characters are twisted and corrupt and fascinating the way all great noir characters are, and it is at times brutal and romantic - sometimes in the same scene, but as Elle would have put it the whole thing goes on for about a thousand years. For its first half I couldn't help but compare it to Ira Levin's A Kiss Before Dying, which it very much resembles; both have duplicitous narrators who insinuate themselves into a family and systematically destroy it; both are told by several narrators so that we revisit events from multiple points of view, with each point of view revealing a new twist; both involve false identities verging on multiple personality disorder; and both involve investigations by a third party late in the game that finally bring the duplicity to light. Levin's book is more powerful because Levin himself used duplicity in telling it, with a reveal at the halfway mark that two of the narrators are actually the same person - that we, the reader, have also been deceived by an alias. Japrisot could have benefited from employing such a trick. Instead, his book is about a hundred pages too long for how complicated - or not so complicated - it turns out to be. He could have lost two entire sections - those told by Elle's mother and Ping-Pong's aunt - and the heart of the book wouldn't have skipped a beat. The entire book would have benefited perhaps from a more omniscient point of view so that Elle's quest would only gradually reveal itself to us as she attained information. Then after Ping-Pong sorts out the confusion - much too late - the truth would have been revealed and the book would have been much more tragic and much more powerful. And probably a whole lot shorter.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pity that Sébastien Japrisot isn’t better known here. Even his name is a pseudonym or an anagram of Jean-Baptiste Rossi, his real name. I don’t know very much about him. He’s a French screenwriter as well as novelist whose big breakthrough work (trans. in English) was A Very Long Engagement. It’s one of the best WWI historical novels I’ve ever read. Apparently, he’s more known (at least in France) for his detective fiction. Or to quote Wikipedia, “for subverting the rules of the crime genre. Japrisot broke down the established formulas ‘into their component pieces to re-combine them in original and paradoxical ways.’” Nowhere is that on display more than in One Deadly Summer. It’s a tragic revenge story that unfolds in the aftermath of WWII, a full generation later, when an enigmatic French/German teenage girl comes to live in the same village as an Italian/French family with three sons whose lives will never be the same once she comes on the scene. She’s a strange, mysterious person with a complicated past. It is intertwined with that of the equally odd yet paradoxically normal French family she plans to wreck despite becoming fond of them all. The thing I liked most about this story is the unexpected moments of tenderness the characters feel for each other even when they are puzzled or enraged by one or the other’s behavior. I also really liked the setting, somewhere in the hilly mountainous terrain near Marseilles. And the way the events are relayed, as if offhand, a natural flood of impressions distorted by human emotion. Which is where Japrisot’s art comes in. He constructs the narrative in layers, revealing just enough to keep the plot moving (and reader guessing) even as the characters struggle to make sense of what’s happening—and why.