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Underjordiske timer
Paris, én dag, to skæbner: Tidligere elskede Mathilde sit job som projektleder, men efter at hun modsagde sin chef til et møde, er hun blevet kørt ud på et sidespor og bliver ignoreret af alle sine kollegaer. Hun føler sig mere og mere usikker på alt, men da hun opdager, at hun er blevet rykket ned på kontorets pulterkammer, beslutter hun sig for, at noget må ændre sig.
Thibault er praktiserende læge og kører rundt til Paris’ ensomme og udsatte patienter. Han har aldrig fået kone og børn, men er dybt forelsket i Lila, der dog holder ham på afstand. Da han endelig får sagt, at de ikke længere kan ses, trækker hun blot på skuldrene. Mens han kører ud på sin daglige runde, overvejer han, om han vil være i stand fastholde sin beslutning.
Begge bevæger de sig gennem Paris med al dens larm, ensomhed og fortabte skæbner, men inden dagen er omme, vil deres veje krydses.
Thibault er praktiserende læge og kører rundt til Paris’ ensomme og udsatte patienter. Han har aldrig fået kone og børn, men er dybt forelsket i Lila, der dog holder ham på afstand. Da han endelig får sagt, at de ikke længere kan ses, trækker hun blot på skuldrene. Mens han kører ud på sin daglige runde, overvejer han, om han vil være i stand fastholde sin beslutning.
Begge bevæger de sig gennem Paris med al dens larm, ensomhed og fortabte skæbner, men inden dagen er omme, vil deres veje krydses.
250 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2009
94 people are currently reading
2446 people want to read
About the author
Delphine de Vigan
33 books2,627 followersDelphine de Vigan is an award-winning French novelist. She has published several novels for adults. Her breakthrough work was the book No et moi (No and Me) that was awarded the Prix des Libraires (The Booksellers' Prize) in France in 2008.
In 2011, she published a novel Rien ne s'oppose a la nuit (Nothing holds back the night) that deals with a family coping with their mother's bipolar disorder. In her native France, the novel brought her a set of awards, including the prix du roman Fnac (the prize given by the Fnac bookstores) and the prix Renaudot des lycéens.
In 2011, she published a novel Rien ne s'oppose a la nuit (Nothing holds back the night) that deals with a family coping with their mother's bipolar disorder. In her native France, the novel brought her a set of awards, including the prix du roman Fnac (the prize given by the Fnac bookstores) and the prix Renaudot des lycéens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 576 reviews
June 17, 2021
Can't say I was disappointed by The Underground Hours, as I wasn't expecting much anyway to be honest. Just a bang average, easy to read, forgettable novel, which went swooning for the reader's pity right from the off, and didn't explore it's themes deep enough. Thought it might have been one of those book club light summer reads where one could relax in the garden on a nice sunny afternoon knocking back a few iced coffees or highball cocktails or whatever, but it was way too miserable for that: More a heart chiller than a heart warmer. If I could fit inside my fridge, then I would have happily read it in there.
The narrative switches back and forth between a widowed 40-year-old mother of three, Mathilde, who works as a deputy marketing director for a large firm in Paris and who is treated like crap by her backstabbing boss; where he is basically trying to drive her out for one reason or another, and a fed up 43-year-old medic, Thibault, who drives around doing emergency house calls having just split from his girlfriend as result of having no real connection with her. His dream was to become a surgeon, but that dream was left in tatters. Basically, we have two lost and desperate souls. Both are suffering with exhaustion, loneliness, and alienation. Both have moments of glum self-reflection during the day; whether he in his vehicle, or she riding the métro or stuck in the office. Any chance of them meeting through fate and hitting it off and saving each other somehow: which I half expected to happen, is a non starter, as they only ever cross paths right at the end. Why not just focus on Mathilde? I didn't see much point to Thibault.
If either of the two is a victim here, then it's certainly Mathilde; but for me even that was limited, due to her visiting a clairvoyant early on which felt a bit pathetic. Thibault had a swagger and coldness about him that I just didn't like; thus I felt very little towards him. Might strike a chord with anyone who has been the target of workplace bullying, but other that than I wouldn't recommend it. It all really doesn't go anywhere. This was my second de Vigan book, and I can't see myself reading her again. It says something of how bored I was when a scene involving Mathilde doing some photocopying at work was in my thoughts after finishing it.
February 11, 2013
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Underground Time is a difficult book to read. I found myself setting it down, time and time again, telling myself I wouldn’t pick it back up because there was enough depression in life without needing to read about it in a book too. When I did, inevitably, pick it up, I found myself reciting, “It’s just a book, it’s just a book, it’s not real life, don’t let it get to you, their story isn’t your own,” over and over again. Delphine de Vigan, however, makes her character’s stories my own; makes their pain so palpable and sharp that it aches my heart. And, after finishing this book, it is all I can do to not bury myself under the covers and lay there, warm and satisfied, unwilling to face the harsh realities of life. I owe it to this book and these characters, which have become so real to me, to persevere on, at least for a little while more.
What makes de Vigan such a brilliant author is her prose. Even in the first novel I read of hers, No and Me, I was blown away by the subtle beauty of her writing, the manner in which her phrases were thought-provoking and contemplative, all while retaining an ethereal loveliness about them. Thus, when I heard that de Vigan had written just one other adult book that had been translated into English, I rushed to my library to make them order it, just for me. Underground Time, though, is far different than No and Me was. Where her young adult story is a coming of age story full of silver linings despite the fact that it acknowledges that certain aspects of life simply cannot be changed, Underground Time is a story of two depressed adults for whom life has simply pressed down upon, much like the sky pressed down upon Atlas, the Titan.
Underground Time charts the story of Mathilde, a single mother of three children who is the victim of corporate bullying. After gently disagreeing with a minor point her boss made, Mathilde has found herself slowly spiraling away from all she loved about her job. Over the past eight months, her boss finds every reason to criticize her and turn her co-workers against her, all while lying about receiving important documents until, finally, on May 20th, Mathilde is replaced. Thibault, who shares the dual third-person narration in this story, is a doctor who is caught in a relationship of unrequited love. Finally, he finds it within himself to end his relationship for giving love and receiving none in return is every bit as painful as it sounds. Underground Time is a story that takes place over one day, filled with contemplation, longing, and flashbacks, detailing the joint story of Thibault and Mathilde, strangers who don’t know each other, but whose lives contain similar threads of depression and loneliness.
Underground Time takes place over the span of just one day, which is why it tends to drag a little after the half-way point, Mathilde and Thibault having the same depressing thoughts, only expressing them in a slightly different manner. Yet, despite this, the novel is surprisingly readable. Mathilde and Thibault both have their own individual voices which only complement each other. Although both our main characters do not know one another, it is evident from their narration that they should know each other for both of them want similar things from life. For me, the story of Mathilde and her heart-wrenching corporate discrimination seemed to be the overarching story arc that the tale of Thibault only enhanced. As a doctor, Thibault travels the city of Paris, meeting dozens of people with their own problems and depressions.
In many ways, Underground Time is equally a story of the city as it is of Mathilde and Thibault. It seems as if everyone in the city, despite being so occupied with their own lives, are eventually going to reach that point of exhaustion in their life, in some way or the other. With Thibault, we can see so clearly the multi-faceted side to this city, one teeming with life and death in equal parts. Furthermore, an advantage of having the narration of Thibault told side-by-side with that of Mathilde is that we can see so clearly the cruel game that fate plays with them both.
As with any dual narration, one always expects the characters to meet and while that standard is no different with this novel, it is a patient process. It seems as if, many times, Thibault and Mathilde are just about to meet one another, purely by coincidence, when, at the last instant, they just miss one another. Underground Time, unlike what I expected when I cracked open the spine of this novel, is not a romance. Instead, it is a story of two people who are forced to make tough decisions in their life, whether it is ending a relationship that isn't working out or coming to the end of an unhappy time in an office building. Yet, what I love about this is that these actions are neither good nor bad decisions. Instead, they are inevitable. At times, life backs us into a corner where we have no choice but one left before us. Furthermore, this is a story not of the hope of a new and better life, but rather of the forlorn and hopeless period in-between; before one feels that life can better, they must first feel as if it cannot.
All in all, Underground Time is a novel that I know many of my friends will enjoy but it is, in equal parts, a novel I know many of my friends will despise. It is achingly real, to the point where one is compelled only to read stories of happiness afterwards, but it’s worth it. Delphine de Vigan has, yet again, managed to write a novel that is unique, thought-provoking, and shockingly realistic. While I do believe the ending is conclusive enough, I know many readers who have felt otherwise for, truly, it is open and ambiguous like few things in this world are. Yet, I found it was the perfect ending, both for this novel and its characters. It was fitting, in a way only life, which continues to go on despite everything it throws at is, manages to be.
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
Underground Time is a difficult book to read. I found myself setting it down, time and time again, telling myself I wouldn’t pick it back up because there was enough depression in life without needing to read about it in a book too. When I did, inevitably, pick it up, I found myself reciting, “It’s just a book, it’s just a book, it’s not real life, don’t let it get to you, their story isn’t your own,” over and over again. Delphine de Vigan, however, makes her character’s stories my own; makes their pain so palpable and sharp that it aches my heart. And, after finishing this book, it is all I can do to not bury myself under the covers and lay there, warm and satisfied, unwilling to face the harsh realities of life. I owe it to this book and these characters, which have become so real to me, to persevere on, at least for a little while more.
What makes de Vigan such a brilliant author is her prose. Even in the first novel I read of hers, No and Me, I was blown away by the subtle beauty of her writing, the manner in which her phrases were thought-provoking and contemplative, all while retaining an ethereal loveliness about them. Thus, when I heard that de Vigan had written just one other adult book that had been translated into English, I rushed to my library to make them order it, just for me. Underground Time, though, is far different than No and Me was. Where her young adult story is a coming of age story full of silver linings despite the fact that it acknowledges that certain aspects of life simply cannot be changed, Underground Time is a story of two depressed adults for whom life has simply pressed down upon, much like the sky pressed down upon Atlas, the Titan.
Underground Time charts the story of Mathilde, a single mother of three children who is the victim of corporate bullying. After gently disagreeing with a minor point her boss made, Mathilde has found herself slowly spiraling away from all she loved about her job. Over the past eight months, her boss finds every reason to criticize her and turn her co-workers against her, all while lying about receiving important documents until, finally, on May 20th, Mathilde is replaced. Thibault, who shares the dual third-person narration in this story, is a doctor who is caught in a relationship of unrequited love. Finally, he finds it within himself to end his relationship for giving love and receiving none in return is every bit as painful as it sounds. Underground Time is a story that takes place over one day, filled with contemplation, longing, and flashbacks, detailing the joint story of Thibault and Mathilde, strangers who don’t know each other, but whose lives contain similar threads of depression and loneliness.
Underground Time takes place over the span of just one day, which is why it tends to drag a little after the half-way point, Mathilde and Thibault having the same depressing thoughts, only expressing them in a slightly different manner. Yet, despite this, the novel is surprisingly readable. Mathilde and Thibault both have their own individual voices which only complement each other. Although both our main characters do not know one another, it is evident from their narration that they should know each other for both of them want similar things from life. For me, the story of Mathilde and her heart-wrenching corporate discrimination seemed to be the overarching story arc that the tale of Thibault only enhanced. As a doctor, Thibault travels the city of Paris, meeting dozens of people with their own problems and depressions.
In many ways, Underground Time is equally a story of the city as it is of Mathilde and Thibault. It seems as if everyone in the city, despite being so occupied with their own lives, are eventually going to reach that point of exhaustion in their life, in some way or the other. With Thibault, we can see so clearly the multi-faceted side to this city, one teeming with life and death in equal parts. Furthermore, an advantage of having the narration of Thibault told side-by-side with that of Mathilde is that we can see so clearly the cruel game that fate plays with them both.
As with any dual narration, one always expects the characters to meet and while that standard is no different with this novel, it is a patient process. It seems as if, many times, Thibault and Mathilde are just about to meet one another, purely by coincidence, when, at the last instant, they just miss one another. Underground Time, unlike what I expected when I cracked open the spine of this novel, is not a romance. Instead, it is a story of two people who are forced to make tough decisions in their life, whether it is ending a relationship that isn't working out or coming to the end of an unhappy time in an office building. Yet, what I love about this is that these actions are neither good nor bad decisions. Instead, they are inevitable. At times, life backs us into a corner where we have no choice but one left before us. Furthermore, this is a story not of the hope of a new and better life, but rather of the forlorn and hopeless period in-between; before one feels that life can better, they must first feel as if it cannot.
All in all, Underground Time is a novel that I know many of my friends will enjoy but it is, in equal parts, a novel I know many of my friends will despise. It is achingly real, to the point where one is compelled only to read stories of happiness afterwards, but it’s worth it. Delphine de Vigan has, yet again, managed to write a novel that is unique, thought-provoking, and shockingly realistic. While I do believe the ending is conclusive enough, I know many readers who have felt otherwise for, truly, it is open and ambiguous like few things in this world are. Yet, I found it was the perfect ending, both for this novel and its characters. It was fitting, in a way only life, which continues to go on despite everything it throws at is, manages to be.
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
December 27, 2024
Esta novela no se limita a contar una historia, te exige que la experimentes, que te sumerjas en los silencios, en las ausencias y en los abismos internos de sus personajes.
La historia acompaña a Mathilde y a Thibault en sus vidas diarias, vidas que en un principio podrían parecer insignificantes o comunes, pero que pronto se revelan llenas de una tensión silenciosa.
Mathilde, víctima de una crueldad sistemática en el trabajo, provoca una mezcla de empatía, desesperación e impotencia: ¿por qué aguanta tanto? ¿Por qué no se defiende o huye? Pero De Vigan, con su habilidad para construir personajes complejos, nos obliga a mirar más allá de las respuestas fáciles. Nos muestra cómo el abuso constante puede erosionar incluso la voluntad más fuerte, cómo el silencio y la indiferencia de quienes nos rodean pueden amplificar el dolor.
Thibault, por su parte, representa una soledad más sutil, más cotidiana, pero igualmente triste. Mientras Thibault recorre las calles de París visitando pacientes, su aislamiento se siente casi físico, enamorado sin reciprocidad, pero a la vez fuertemente necesitado de amor.
A medida que Mathilde y Thibault caminan paralelos, el deseo de que sus caminos se crucen se convierte en una necesidad casi desesperada. De Vigan juega magistralmente con esa expectativa, construyendo una tensión que, aunque sutil, se siente visceral. Y cuando el final llega, no lo hace como una resolución, sino como una invitación a seguir pensando, a seguir sintiendo. Y todo esto sucede mientras París, esa ciudad que suele asociarse con el amor y la belleza, se convierte en un lugar frío, indiferente, que parece tragarse a los personajes.
No es una lectura ligera ni alegre, pero si estás dispuesto a dejarte llevar por su ritmo y su profundidad, te va a dejar huella. Y quizás, después de leerla, veas a las personas que te cruzas por la calle de una forma un poco diferente.
La historia acompaña a Mathilde y a Thibault en sus vidas diarias, vidas que en un principio podrían parecer insignificantes o comunes, pero que pronto se revelan llenas de una tensión silenciosa.
Mathilde, víctima de una crueldad sistemática en el trabajo, provoca una mezcla de empatía, desesperación e impotencia: ¿por qué aguanta tanto? ¿Por qué no se defiende o huye? Pero De Vigan, con su habilidad para construir personajes complejos, nos obliga a mirar más allá de las respuestas fáciles. Nos muestra cómo el abuso constante puede erosionar incluso la voluntad más fuerte, cómo el silencio y la indiferencia de quienes nos rodean pueden amplificar el dolor.
Thibault, por su parte, representa una soledad más sutil, más cotidiana, pero igualmente triste. Mientras Thibault recorre las calles de París visitando pacientes, su aislamiento se siente casi físico, enamorado sin reciprocidad, pero a la vez fuertemente necesitado de amor.
A medida que Mathilde y Thibault caminan paralelos, el deseo de que sus caminos se crucen se convierte en una necesidad casi desesperada. De Vigan juega magistralmente con esa expectativa, construyendo una tensión que, aunque sutil, se siente visceral. Y cuando el final llega, no lo hace como una resolución, sino como una invitación a seguir pensando, a seguir sintiendo. Y todo esto sucede mientras París, esa ciudad que suele asociarse con el amor y la belleza, se convierte en un lugar frío, indiferente, que parece tragarse a los personajes.
No es una lectura ligera ni alegre, pero si estás dispuesto a dejarte llevar por su ritmo y su profundidad, te va a dejar huella. Y quizás, después de leerla, veas a las personas que te cruzas por la calle de una forma un poco diferente.
February 14, 2021
Der Titel sagt eigentlich schon vieles: Wenn man in einer großen Stadt lebt, vergisst man vieles im ständigen Trubel des Alltags, insbesondere die eigene Verwundbarkeit. Dies kann aus vielen verschiedenen Faktoren kommen, in diesem Buch geht es um die Vereinsamung, Härte und Schwäche von einzelnen Personen in Paris.
"Am 20. Mai wird sich Ihr Leben ändern."
Wir beobachten 2 Personen, Mathilde und Thibault, die sich im Großstadtdschungel durchschlagen. Sie ringt um ihr Überleben in ihrer Firma, wo sie nach und nach ausradiert wird ohne den Grund zu erkennen. Er leidet unter der Einsamkeit und verliert die Fähigkeit der Kommunikation zu anderen. Beide leiden und werden dabei immer blasser. Erschöpft und mürbe haben sie bereits das Stadium der Trauer und Wut überflogen und verschwinden nach und nach in der Kulisse der Stadt.
Was mir besonders gefallen hat, war die Beziehung der Menschen zueinander, wie sie sich nicht ausstehen können, aber trotzdem zusammen weiterleben müssen. Natürlich gibt es auch gute nette Leute, aber auch diese werden aus dem Blick von Mathilde als die gefährlichsten bezeichnet. Verzweiflung, Verlust und Brutalität werden hier in weichen, sanften Worten erzählt ohne dem Leser all die Emotionen aufzuzwingen. Aber gerade deshalb hat mich die Geschichte berührt.
Es ist trotz der Thematik tatsächlich ein sehr ruhiges Buch, sprich es passiert nicht unbedingt viel und vieles wird nur angedeutet. Auf Action, Emotionsausbrüche und ein Happy End wartet man vergeblich. Aber genau das hat mir hier gefallen, insbesondere das Ende hat mich irgendwie komplett umgehauen; es war als hätte das Buch am Ende mir eine Ohrfeige gegeben, weil ich es so nicht erwartet hatte.
** Dieses Buch wurde mir über NetGalley als E-Book zur Verfügung gestellt **
"Am 20. Mai wird sich Ihr Leben ändern."
Wir beobachten 2 Personen, Mathilde und Thibault, die sich im Großstadtdschungel durchschlagen. Sie ringt um ihr Überleben in ihrer Firma, wo sie nach und nach ausradiert wird ohne den Grund zu erkennen. Er leidet unter der Einsamkeit und verliert die Fähigkeit der Kommunikation zu anderen. Beide leiden und werden dabei immer blasser. Erschöpft und mürbe haben sie bereits das Stadium der Trauer und Wut überflogen und verschwinden nach und nach in der Kulisse der Stadt.
Was mir besonders gefallen hat, war die Beziehung der Menschen zueinander, wie sie sich nicht ausstehen können, aber trotzdem zusammen weiterleben müssen. Natürlich gibt es auch gute nette Leute, aber auch diese werden aus dem Blick von Mathilde als die gefährlichsten bezeichnet. Verzweiflung, Verlust und Brutalität werden hier in weichen, sanften Worten erzählt ohne dem Leser all die Emotionen aufzuzwingen. Aber gerade deshalb hat mich die Geschichte berührt.
Es ist trotz der Thematik tatsächlich ein sehr ruhiges Buch, sprich es passiert nicht unbedingt viel und vieles wird nur angedeutet. Auf Action, Emotionsausbrüche und ein Happy End wartet man vergeblich. Aber genau das hat mir hier gefallen, insbesondere das Ende hat mich irgendwie komplett umgehauen; es war als hätte das Buch am Ende mir eine Ohrfeige gegeben, weil ich es so nicht erwartet hatte.
** Dieses Buch wurde mir über NetGalley als E-Book zur Verfügung gestellt **
February 22, 2013
If there's one thing this author knows how to do, it is capture hopelessness. I think going into this having no clue what other people thought of it or really anything about the author made for a really exciting experience for me. However, I'm going to spoil something for you. The blurb for this book made me feel a bit optimistic about what could happen:
"Every day, Mathilde takes the Metro to her job at a large multinational, where she has felt miserable and isolated ever since getting on the wrong side of her bullying boss. Every day, Thibault, a paramedic, drives where his dispatcher directs him, fighting traffic to attend to disasters. For many of the people he rushes to treat, he represents the only human connection in their day. Mathilde and Thibault are just two figures being pushed and shoved in a lonesome, crowded city. But what might happen if these two souls, traveling their separate paths, could meet?"
Two miserable people find each other and make a go of it, right? And live happily ever after? You sly, sly jacket copy writer. That is not what this book is about--actually, it is is one of the most depressing books I have read lately. Almost the entire book is devoted to descriptions of Mathilde being undermined and under-appreciated at work. She is a widow and can't even bring herself to spend time with her friends because they will ask her about work. Thibault, the male lead, is an equally miserable doctor who once dreamed of being a surgeon, a dream that was crushed when he lost several fingers in a bar fight. He is in a relationship with an emotionally unavailable woman and he is unhappy with his job traveling all around the city, visiting patients. The narrative alternates between Mathilde and Thibault, and while I enjoyed Mathilde's portions more, I don't think the story would be complete without Thibault's voice thrown in. The descriptions of Mathilde's work life provided for more instances of pure rage from me as a reader than perhaps any book I've ever read. If it was possible, I'd write myself into this story and I'd have no qualms about torturing her boss in tiny, obnoxious ways until he broke into a million pieces. But both narratives really evoke the loneliness so many of us feel, even when we're surrounded by people.
"Carried along by the dense, disorganised tide, he thought that the city would always impose its own rhythms, its haste, its rush hours, that it would always remain unaware of these millions of solitary journeys at whose points of intersection there is nothing. Nothing but a void, or else a spark that instantly goes out." (257)
Today, when I was driving downtown, I saw a young woman about my age who had crutches and a walking boot on her leg. It was raining, she was going very slowly up a hill, and she looked miserable. I asked if I could drive her to wherever she was going. While we went around the block to her bus stop, we figured out that her ultimate destination was on the other side of Lake Washington, right near my house, so I told her I'd take her the whole way. We chatted about our lives, our families, her injury, African safaris, and I'll never see her again. Or perhaps I will, but I'd have a hard time recollecting where I knew her from. It was just a moment, like any other moment, when I made a choice. In Underground Time, the entire book builds up to just one of those moments, and I'm confident in saying that the ending will not satisfy a majority of readers, but it satisfied me. Then again, I'm someone who quite enjoys when a book punches me in the stomach.
I wish I knew French so I could read this novel in its original language. Even so, the translation is wonderfully descript. Though not overly flowery, the book is filled with metaphors and turns of phrase just so perfectly apt that I found myself repeatedly impressed:
"So a moment must come when she'll wake up, when she'll grasp the division between reality and sleep, and realise that that is all this was: a long nightmare. When she'll experience the intense relief that follows the return to consciousness, even if her heart is still beating fit to explode, even if she is bathed in sweat in her darkened bedroom. A moment when she will be free." (211)
This was 4/5 stars for me. I think it will appeal to anyone who likes to read about the bleaker aspects of life, people who enjoy French literature, anyone who may or may not daydream about murdering their horrible boss, and people who like imagining what would happen if you stopped to talk to that person on the subway.
This was my first pick for our Readventurer feature, Library Quest, where we (and guest posters) pick books from the library that we've never heard of to read and review in the quest to find some hidden treasure.
"Every day, Mathilde takes the Metro to her job at a large multinational, where she has felt miserable and isolated ever since getting on the wrong side of her bullying boss. Every day, Thibault, a paramedic, drives where his dispatcher directs him, fighting traffic to attend to disasters. For many of the people he rushes to treat, he represents the only human connection in their day. Mathilde and Thibault are just two figures being pushed and shoved in a lonesome, crowded city. But what might happen if these two souls, traveling their separate paths, could meet?"
Two miserable people find each other and make a go of it, right? And live happily ever after? You sly, sly jacket copy writer. That is not what this book is about--actually, it is is one of the most depressing books I have read lately. Almost the entire book is devoted to descriptions of Mathilde being undermined and under-appreciated at work. She is a widow and can't even bring herself to spend time with her friends because they will ask her about work. Thibault, the male lead, is an equally miserable doctor who once dreamed of being a surgeon, a dream that was crushed when he lost several fingers in a bar fight. He is in a relationship with an emotionally unavailable woman and he is unhappy with his job traveling all around the city, visiting patients. The narrative alternates between Mathilde and Thibault, and while I enjoyed Mathilde's portions more, I don't think the story would be complete without Thibault's voice thrown in. The descriptions of Mathilde's work life provided for more instances of pure rage from me as a reader than perhaps any book I've ever read. If it was possible, I'd write myself into this story and I'd have no qualms about torturing her boss in tiny, obnoxious ways until he broke into a million pieces. But both narratives really evoke the loneliness so many of us feel, even when we're surrounded by people.
"Carried along by the dense, disorganised tide, he thought that the city would always impose its own rhythms, its haste, its rush hours, that it would always remain unaware of these millions of solitary journeys at whose points of intersection there is nothing. Nothing but a void, or else a spark that instantly goes out." (257)
Today, when I was driving downtown, I saw a young woman about my age who had crutches and a walking boot on her leg. It was raining, she was going very slowly up a hill, and she looked miserable. I asked if I could drive her to wherever she was going. While we went around the block to her bus stop, we figured out that her ultimate destination was on the other side of Lake Washington, right near my house, so I told her I'd take her the whole way. We chatted about our lives, our families, her injury, African safaris, and I'll never see her again. Or perhaps I will, but I'd have a hard time recollecting where I knew her from. It was just a moment, like any other moment, when I made a choice. In Underground Time, the entire book builds up to just one of those moments, and I'm confident in saying that the ending will not satisfy a majority of readers, but it satisfied me. Then again, I'm someone who quite enjoys when a book punches me in the stomach.
I wish I knew French so I could read this novel in its original language. Even so, the translation is wonderfully descript. Though not overly flowery, the book is filled with metaphors and turns of phrase just so perfectly apt that I found myself repeatedly impressed:
"So a moment must come when she'll wake up, when she'll grasp the division between reality and sleep, and realise that that is all this was: a long nightmare. When she'll experience the intense relief that follows the return to consciousness, even if her heart is still beating fit to explode, even if she is bathed in sweat in her darkened bedroom. A moment when she will be free." (211)
This was 4/5 stars for me. I think it will appeal to anyone who likes to read about the bleaker aspects of life, people who enjoy French literature, anyone who may or may not daydream about murdering their horrible boss, and people who like imagining what would happen if you stopped to talk to that person on the subway.
This was my first pick for our Readventurer feature, Library Quest, where we (and guest posters) pick books from the library that we've never heard of to read and review in the quest to find some hidden treasure.
July 31, 2019
Ha sido horroroso. De las dos historias paralelas sin duda me quedo con la de ella. Me he quedado con ganas de más final y más conclusión. Es un libro muy frustrante pero no por eso menos genial.
December 12, 2022
3,5
Una novela escrita al estilo de Vigan, con un lenguaje directo, y creando la ambientación de lo que es la gran urbe de París.
Es una novela que aunque la trama no me ha llegado a gustar demasiado, la autora te engancha cuente lo que cuente. En este caso, una protagonista, Mathilde la cual es viuda, su jefe un día de repente la acosa y le hace la vida imposible en el trabajo, hasta llegar al punto de querer dejarlo todo.
Y el segundo protagonista, Thibault, un médico que vive el estrés de la ciudad, el cual tiene una relación con una persona únicamente sexual, porque no puede sentir nada por ella.
Dos personajes que en teoria deberian estar juntos, pero que sufren la vida cosmopolita y acelerada de París, pasan muchas horas en el transporte, horas subterraneas...
Una novela cortita donde la autora narra el desgaste que se produce en ambos personajes, como se rompen los sueños de las personas y las ilusiones. Deja un mensaje, y es que a veces la unica salida es rendirse y dejar de luchar, algo con lo que no estoy muy de acuerdo.
No creo que sea una novela para todo el mundo, pero si has leido algo de la autora y te ha gustado, te lo recomiendo, aunque pueda salirse un poco de lo habitual.
Una novela escrita al estilo de Vigan, con un lenguaje directo, y creando la ambientación de lo que es la gran urbe de París.
Es una novela que aunque la trama no me ha llegado a gustar demasiado, la autora te engancha cuente lo que cuente. En este caso, una protagonista, Mathilde la cual es viuda, su jefe un día de repente la acosa y le hace la vida imposible en el trabajo, hasta llegar al punto de querer dejarlo todo.
Y el segundo protagonista, Thibault, un médico que vive el estrés de la ciudad, el cual tiene una relación con una persona únicamente sexual, porque no puede sentir nada por ella.
Dos personajes que en teoria deberian estar juntos, pero que sufren la vida cosmopolita y acelerada de París, pasan muchas horas en el transporte, horas subterraneas...
Una novela cortita donde la autora narra el desgaste que se produce en ambos personajes, como se rompen los sueños de las personas y las ilusiones. Deja un mensaje, y es que a veces la unica salida es rendirse y dejar de luchar, algo con lo que no estoy muy de acuerdo.
No creo que sea una novela para todo el mundo, pero si has leido algo de la autora y te ha gustado, te lo recomiendo, aunque pueda salirse un poco de lo habitual.
November 4, 2011
I almost gave it one star but some of the emotions each character went through swayed me to feel it was okay. This is either an over-rated book or I just don't get it. I admit, the ending is exactly the way the world turns but I kept thinking 'what was the point of this story'? I don't need fantastic endings nor action but there was not a lot to carry the reader. In fact, I could just talk to a friend to hear some of the depressing situations and thoughts in this novel. There are many french novels I devour, so it isn't that. I found it boring, and boring is something a book should never be. Sorry for those of you that are riding the underground love train, I think I'd rather jump in front of it than join you.
March 1, 2024
Mathilde y Thibault. Thibault y Mathilde. Dos historias que discurren en paralelo (muy bien narradas ambas), pero que no me han llegado por igual. Porque en los capítulos de Thibault pensaba en Mathilde. Quería que sus vidas se cruzaran, que Mathilde apareciera de nuevo, que diera un paso adelante y remontara.
Venía con las expectativas en el Everest después de que Las gratitudes me conquistaran hace unos meses y Las horas subterráneas me ha parecido una novela muy triste. Quizá demasiado. He sufido junto a Mathilde y he confiado en la carta del Defensor del Alba de Plata como Mathilde. Solo han pasado unas horas desde que llegué al punto final y ya he empezado a olvidar a Thibault, pero sé que recordaré a Mathilde.
Venía con las expectativas en el Everest después de que Las gratitudes me conquistaran hace unos meses y Las horas subterráneas me ha parecido una novela muy triste. Quizá demasiado. He sufido junto a Mathilde y he confiado en la carta del Defensor del Alba de Plata como Mathilde. Solo han pasado unas horas desde que llegué al punto final y ya he empezado a olvidar a Thibault, pero sé que recordaré a Mathilde.
November 24, 2022
Me gusta mucho como escribe la autora pero la historia de este libro no me convenció. Estaba todo el rato con ganas de que ocurriese algo ,que la protagonista te sorprediera. Me parecio depresivo incluso.
August 25, 2025
Muy gris, con intención, muy contemporánea en la recreación profesional de los personajes, para mí muy acertada al captar el impacto emocional de sus vidas profesionales, y esta estructura de alternar sus historias me ha gustado en el sentido de jugar al encuentro, que no lo hagan en el ir y venir de sus circunstancias me ha parecido muy realista, actual y muy coherente con su sello de autora, pero me ha dejado con ganas de algún significado especial para justificar la narración, la sensación final me ha dejado algo triste, la evidencia de la soledad en dos trayectorias paralelas que podrían haberse encontrado.
June 26, 2023
Prečítané za jeden deň. Ráno som ju vybral z poličky, a na ceste domov som ju dočítal. Skvelý pocit. A vynikajúce čítanie na moju dnešnú náladu. Už dávno mi kniha tak dobre nesadla do nálady.
February 20, 2022
Underground Time was a library of friendship novel that I suspected might turn out to be a romance. While I was pleased to find it wasn't, the plot turned out to be much more depressing than I expected. It follows two Parisians, Mathilde and Thibault, through one day of their working lives. Both have really tough jobs, Thibault because he is a paramedic constantly dealing with emergencies and Mathilde because her boss is bullying and gaslighting her. Their thoughts and impressions are conveyed beautifully by the skillful writing and translation; unfortunately they are a total downer. Mathilde's experiences in the office are practically devastating, a reminder of how hellish work can be with an evil boss. As De Vigan puts it:
Even in translation that paragraph retains a strongly French vibe, as does the whole book. I appreciated the writing, although I can't say I enjoyed it as such. It offers the opposite of escapism: a visceral evocation of bad traffic, awful bosses, exhaustion, and similar daily miseries.
Laetitia's speeches, her no-nonsense language, her way of dividing the world in two, used to make Mathilde smile. Sometimes they disagreed. Now she wonders if Laetitia hasn't been right all along. If business isn't the ultimate testing ground for morality. If business isn't by definition a place of destruction. If business with its rituals, its hierarchy, its ways of functioning, is not quite simply the sovereign place of violence and impunity.
Even in translation that paragraph retains a strongly French vibe, as does the whole book. I appreciated the writing, although I can't say I enjoyed it as such. It offers the opposite of escapism: a visceral evocation of bad traffic, awful bosses, exhaustion, and similar daily miseries.
October 24, 2016
Habiendo conocido a la autora con su novela "No y yo" que me dejó con muchas ganas de seguirla leyendo. Llegué a Las horas subterráneas a ciegas y me encontré con la desolación a través de sus dos personajes Matilde y Thibault, ambos viviendo en esa ciudad omnipresente que absorbe el alma de sus habitantes. La forma en que la autora ahonda en su existencia, el vacío, el cansancio, la incomprensión y lo más triste, la resignación. Todo ello con esa prosa envolvente y adictiva, con esos fragmentos asombrosos.
Son dos situaciones diferentes a las que se enfrentan, la una a esa violencia laboral silenciosa que va desgastando su resistencia, ahogándola; y el otro, a ese tipo de relación unilateral donde el que se enamora termina destrozado. Sus historias son reales, somos testigos de todo esto a diario, ¿cuántos como ellos hemos conocido? y/o ¿en qué momento podemos pasar a ser uno de ellos?, somos parte de este mundo donde a veces la desesperanza quiere ser vencedora, este mundo que no te otorga nada en garantía, este mundo cuya crudeza no siempre comprendemos.
Los libros de Delphine de Vigan nos acercan a esa realidad y a esas personas en las que siempre nos encontraremos de una u otra forma por nuestra simple condición de ser humano.
"Los otros peces tienen colores relucientes, sus escamas son aparentemente suaves, sus aletas no están dañadas. Se han alejado de ella, navegan en otras aguas, más claras, más limpias. Ella ha perdido sus colores, su cuerpo se ha vuelto translúcido, yace en la superficie, con el vientre hacia arriba."
Son dos situaciones diferentes a las que se enfrentan, la una a esa violencia laboral silenciosa que va desgastando su resistencia, ahogándola; y el otro, a ese tipo de relación unilateral donde el que se enamora termina destrozado. Sus historias son reales, somos testigos de todo esto a diario, ¿cuántos como ellos hemos conocido? y/o ¿en qué momento podemos pasar a ser uno de ellos?, somos parte de este mundo donde a veces la desesperanza quiere ser vencedora, este mundo que no te otorga nada en garantía, este mundo cuya crudeza no siempre comprendemos.
Los libros de Delphine de Vigan nos acercan a esa realidad y a esas personas en las que siempre nos encontraremos de una u otra forma por nuestra simple condición de ser humano.
"Los otros peces tienen colores relucientes, sus escamas son aparentemente suaves, sus aletas no están dañadas. Se han alejado de ella, navegan en otras aguas, más claras, más limpias. Ella ha perdido sus colores, su cuerpo se ha vuelto translúcido, yace en la superficie, con el vientre hacia arriba."
February 19, 2023
Me gustó mucho los temas que trata, particularmente el de Matilde, pero el final no me termino de cerrar del todo
April 30, 2025
Una novela emotiva y delicada que ahonda con acierto en la soledad y el dolor cotidiano. La autora retrata muy bien las emociones humanas más complejas, pero la historia se queda a medias y no termina de llevarme a ningún sitio. Bella, pero insatisfactoria. Le doy tres estrellas.
June 16, 2020
Naprosto chápu, proč je autorka mezi knižními nadšenci tak opěvovaná. Toto bylo mé první setkání s ní a jsem si jistá, že ne poslední. Po stylistické a obecně jazykové stránce je kniha mistrovským dílem, autorka umí popsat situace a myšlenkové pochody, jež se na papír jen těžko zachycují. Nicméně musím říct, že i když naprosto chápu, proč je kniha tak úspěšná, já se s jejím vyzněním nesetkala ve správnou chvíli. Vím, že kdybych knihu četla v jiné části svého života, určitě bych dala pět hvězdiček.
February 12, 2024
Lo que me gusta:
Las emociones que les da a los personajes son fuertes y las transmite fácilmente al lector.
El tema principal es oscuro, entra en lo cotidiano y lo sensible de la personalidad y las dificultades humanas, los sentimientos de desesperación, inutilidad y desesperanza, todo eso lo proyecta perfectamente.
Lo que no me gustó:
El final, no creo que me llegó a en encantar.
No fue sólido (en mi opinión) no se cerró la historia de los personajes, sentí que quedaron aún más solos que al principio.
Jacques es un personaje pesado, extremadamente odioso, el típico jefe patético.
Las emociones que les da a los personajes son fuertes y las transmite fácilmente al lector.
El tema principal es oscuro, entra en lo cotidiano y lo sensible de la personalidad y las dificultades humanas, los sentimientos de desesperación, inutilidad y desesperanza, todo eso lo proyecta perfectamente.
Lo que no me gustó:
El final, no creo que me llegó a en encantar.
No fue sólido (en mi opinión) no se cerró la historia de los personajes, sentí que quedaron aún más solos que al principio.
Jacques es un personaje pesado, extremadamente odioso, el típico jefe patético.
August 10, 2023
3,5 ***
Mooie psychologische schets van 2 individuen die zich in een periode van hun leven bevinden waarin niet alles loopt zoals ze het zouden willen.
Zij, Mathilde heeft het moeilijk op haar werk nadat ze één keer openlijk en in het bijzijn van anderen tegen haar baas is ingegaan
Hij, Thibault stelt zijn relatie in vraag en daarmee eigenlijk ook heel zijn leven.
Ik vind Delphine de Vigan zeer sterk in haar psychologische portretten.
Mooie psychologische schets van 2 individuen die zich in een periode van hun leven bevinden waarin niet alles loopt zoals ze het zouden willen.
Zij, Mathilde heeft het moeilijk op haar werk nadat ze één keer openlijk en in het bijzijn van anderen tegen haar baas is ingegaan
Hij, Thibault stelt zijn relatie in vraag en daarmee eigenlijk ook heel zijn leven.
Ik vind Delphine de Vigan zeer sterk in haar psychologische portretten.
July 24, 2021
Od tejto knihy som dostala oveľa viac ako som očakávala . Delphine de Vigan je úžasná pozorovateľka života. Trefnosť a úprimnosť akú dodáva jednotlivým situáciám a témam ktoré opisuje, mi veľmi lahodia. Veľmi sa mi páči aj súčasnosť knihy (aj keď bola napísaná v roku 2009) - témy, ktoré sú rozoberane v knihe - psychologická šikana a samovraždy - sú stále aktuálne.
V tejto knihe opisuje osudy dvoch unavených a zničených ľudí. Hlavnými postavami sú doktor Thibauld ktorý sa práve rozišiel so svojou priateľkou a je unavený zo všetkých prípadov, ktoré musí liečiť. A potom je tu Matilde, vdova a matka 3 chlapcov, ktorá sa stala terčom psychologickej sikany zo strany svojho šéfa. Hlavne postavy zúfalo potrebujú podporu a nehu človeka o ktorého by sa mohli oprieť. Thibauld a Matilde na seba síce natrafia, ale nikdy sa nestretnú. Ani pozdeji ani jinde. Pretože zúfalé duše na seba natrafia len vo filmoch.
Úprimne - Nie je to pekne čítanie. Ale je prudko reálne a úplne výstižné. Tieto témy by nemali zapadnúť prachom, sú oveľa vážnejším problémom ako si myslíme.
V tejto knihe opisuje osudy dvoch unavených a zničených ľudí. Hlavnými postavami sú doktor Thibauld ktorý sa práve rozišiel so svojou priateľkou a je unavený zo všetkých prípadov, ktoré musí liečiť. A potom je tu Matilde, vdova a matka 3 chlapcov, ktorá sa stala terčom psychologickej sikany zo strany svojho šéfa. Hlavne postavy zúfalo potrebujú podporu a nehu človeka o ktorého by sa mohli oprieť. Thibauld a Matilde na seba síce natrafia, ale nikdy sa nestretnú. Ani pozdeji ani jinde. Pretože zúfalé duše na seba natrafia len vo filmoch.
Úprimne - Nie je to pekne čítanie. Ale je prudko reálne a úplne výstižné. Tieto témy by nemali zapadnúť prachom, sú oveľa vážnejším problémom ako si myslíme.
June 29, 2025
âmes sensibles s'abstenir!
Ce roman est une exploration poignante de la violence silencieuse et du harcèlement moral en entreprise. L'autrice utilise une écriture percutante pour créer une atmosphère étouffante, et ses personnages sont d'une grande justesse, chacun de nous peut s'identifier à leur détresse. Le roman est une référence sur le harcèlement moral, montrant comment il s'installe insidieusement et détruit les victimes. Un livre puissant et réaliste, il résonne avec ceux qui ont vécu des situations similaires, mettant des mots sur des expériences difficiles et souvent invisibles.
Ce roman est une exploration poignante de la violence silencieuse et du harcèlement moral en entreprise. L'autrice utilise une écriture percutante pour créer une atmosphère étouffante, et ses personnages sont d'une grande justesse, chacun de nous peut s'identifier à leur détresse. Le roman est une référence sur le harcèlement moral, montrant comment il s'installe insidieusement et détruit les victimes. Un livre puissant et réaliste, il résonne avec ceux qui ont vécu des situations similaires, mettant des mots sur des expériences difficiles et souvent invisibles.
March 3, 2013
This is life in the 21st century: Wake up and hear the noises of the city around you. Heave your body into a train car, squeezing every last inch of yourself into a vacancy. Physically contact several people during your commute; feel utterly alone. Sit at your desk and consider your work. Encounter numerous people throughout the day; connect with none of them. Push your body into the train again; stand mere centimeters from several other human beings. Return home, exhausted by your solitude, miserable from your loneliness. This is life today.
Mathilde and Thibault are professionals in Paris, a city many consider to be the most magical and beautiful in the world, but they both ache from the city’s harshness. In beautiful yet disjointed passages, de Vigan describes the day of both Mathilde and Thibault. Unsatisfied with their jobs, they wander, alone, throughout the city.
Reading about loneliness is both comforting yet boring. It’s reassuring to realize people have suffered from the same feelings as you, but overall, ennui isn’t terribly interesting. That’s why Underground Time wasn’t a spectacular read for me. Nevertheless, it moves quickly and the emotions it evokes are worth more than the less than exciting plot.
This is a very French novel. Things are depicted as they are rather than how we wish them to be. It’s also a very 21st century novel. Gone are novels detailing epic fights or webs of intrigue; nowadays we have these languorous, psychological works, a trend I could come to support if I can learn to spell languorous and psychology can be made more interesting.
The best part of reading this novel is determining what, if anything, de Vigan blames for Mathilde and Thibault’s smothering solitude. Personally, I think we are at fault. We can blame the city, urban life, and business culture. We can say the city divides people, separates them until they have no one to turn to. But there are several instances throughout the novel where Thibault or Mathilde could have struck up a relationship or merely a conversation with someone else. But they don’t. The city is absolute.
Favorite Quotation:
“His life is in this incessant toing and froing, these exhausted days, these stairways, these lifts, these doors which close behind him.
His life is at the heart of the city. And the city, with its noise, covers the complaints and the murmurs, hides its poverty, displays its dustbins and its wealth, and ceaselessly increases its speed.”
Discussing urban solitude and business malaise is popular right now. I recently watched Medianeras, an Argentinian film concerned with the same questions as Underground Time. I have the same criticisms of the film as I do the book: meaningful but ultimately flat because of the uninteresting subject matter.
Mathilde and Thibault are professionals in Paris, a city many consider to be the most magical and beautiful in the world, but they both ache from the city’s harshness. In beautiful yet disjointed passages, de Vigan describes the day of both Mathilde and Thibault. Unsatisfied with their jobs, they wander, alone, throughout the city.
Reading about loneliness is both comforting yet boring. It’s reassuring to realize people have suffered from the same feelings as you, but overall, ennui isn’t terribly interesting. That’s why Underground Time wasn’t a spectacular read for me. Nevertheless, it moves quickly and the emotions it evokes are worth more than the less than exciting plot.
This is a very French novel. Things are depicted as they are rather than how we wish them to be. It’s also a very 21st century novel. Gone are novels detailing epic fights or webs of intrigue; nowadays we have these languorous, psychological works, a trend I could come to support if I can learn to spell languorous and psychology can be made more interesting.
The best part of reading this novel is determining what, if anything, de Vigan blames for Mathilde and Thibault’s smothering solitude. Personally, I think we are at fault. We can blame the city, urban life, and business culture. We can say the city divides people, separates them until they have no one to turn to. But there are several instances throughout the novel where Thibault or Mathilde could have struck up a relationship or merely a conversation with someone else. But they don’t. The city is absolute.
Favorite Quotation:
“His life is in this incessant toing and froing, these exhausted days, these stairways, these lifts, these doors which close behind him.
His life is at the heart of the city. And the city, with its noise, covers the complaints and the murmurs, hides its poverty, displays its dustbins and its wealth, and ceaselessly increases its speed.”
Discussing urban solitude and business malaise is popular right now. I recently watched Medianeras, an Argentinian film concerned with the same questions as Underground Time. I have the same criticisms of the film as I do the book: meaningful but ultimately flat because of the uninteresting subject matter.
February 12, 2024
De un tiempo a esta parte Delphine se ha vuelto de mis autoras favoritas y lo que llevo leído de ella me ha gustado. Me gusta su forma de narrar donde te sumerges en sus historias de manera extraordinaria; me gusta como palabra a palabra es capaz de describir los entornos, vidas, personajes, sentimientos y emociones; la forma que tiene de tomar el cotidiano, la vida sin maquillar y los detalles que podrían pasar desapercibidos para trazar historias cargadas de realidad e intimidad.
En Las Horas Subterráneas no encontramos con dos historias paralelas, la de Mathilde y Thibault, que nos describe su rutina un 20 de mayo… un día que evoca su historia, sus idas y venidas en Paris y nos permite comprender su presente. Un día en que todo es cuesta arriba y en la que de alguna u otra forma todo se está desmoronando en sus vidas, un día que nos habla de la soledad, el agotamiento, la ansiedad, la monotonía, la angustia y el desgano de la vida misma; me gusta mucho como a partir de esto los personajes traspasan las páginas para convertirse en personas reales, lo que hace que sea fácil que empatizar y reconocerse en ellos o reconocer nuestros entornos o cercanos en lo que se plantea en la trama.
Me gusta también el título, Las Horas Subterráneas, porque por un lado evoca el entramado subterráneo de Paris donde miles de personas transitan de forma diaria y comparten trayectos/destinos cruzándose sin conocerse; pero también me gusta su título porque evoca a lo subterráneo como lo no evidente, lo que no está en la superficie, todo aquello que se calla y se vive en silencio sin saber que hay otros que pasan lo mismo compartiendo sin saberlo sus soledades y temores.
En definitiva un libro que me gusto mucho, y una autora a la que siempre quiero volver.
En Las Horas Subterráneas no encontramos con dos historias paralelas, la de Mathilde y Thibault, que nos describe su rutina un 20 de mayo… un día que evoca su historia, sus idas y venidas en Paris y nos permite comprender su presente. Un día en que todo es cuesta arriba y en la que de alguna u otra forma todo se está desmoronando en sus vidas, un día que nos habla de la soledad, el agotamiento, la ansiedad, la monotonía, la angustia y el desgano de la vida misma; me gusta mucho como a partir de esto los personajes traspasan las páginas para convertirse en personas reales, lo que hace que sea fácil que empatizar y reconocerse en ellos o reconocer nuestros entornos o cercanos en lo que se plantea en la trama.
Me gusta también el título, Las Horas Subterráneas, porque por un lado evoca el entramado subterráneo de Paris donde miles de personas transitan de forma diaria y comparten trayectos/destinos cruzándose sin conocerse; pero también me gusta su título porque evoca a lo subterráneo como lo no evidente, lo que no está en la superficie, todo aquello que se calla y se vive en silencio sin saber que hay otros que pasan lo mismo compartiendo sin saberlo sus soledades y temores.
En definitiva un libro que me gusto mucho, y una autora a la que siempre quiero volver.
January 25, 2021
Dieses Buch hat mir fast eine Anxiety-Attacke verpasst. Das ist auch der Grund warum ich fast den gesamten Januar gebraucht habe, um dieses 240 Seiten Buch zu lesen. Ich will damit nicht sagen, dass es schlecht ist, auf keinen Fall, aber ich habe so mit Mathilde mitgelitten, dass ich das Buch nicht am Stück lesen konnte.
In diesem Buch geht es hauptsächlich um mein persönlicher Albtraum: Mathilde, die jahrelang erfolgreich in einer Werbefirma gearbeitet hat, wird systematisch aus ihrem Job gemobbt, ihre Freunde und Kollegen stellen sich gegen sie, weil es ihr Chef auf sie abgesehen hat und alles daran setzt ihr das Leben zur Hölle zu machen. Die zweite Geschichte in dem Buch verfolgt ein Arzt, der Hausbesuche macht und der sich von einer Frau getrennt hat, die ihn nicht liebt, er sie dafür aber umso mehr.
Ich habe die Angewohnheit jedes neue de Vigan zu lesen, das herauskommt, meist einmal im Jahr. Bisher ist das Buch das beste von denen, die ich von ihr gelesen habe. Hätte mir am Ende aber etwas anderes gewünscht, aber de Vigan hat diese doofe Angewohnheit offene Enden zu lassen ;)
In diesem Buch geht es hauptsächlich um mein persönlicher Albtraum: Mathilde, die jahrelang erfolgreich in einer Werbefirma gearbeitet hat, wird systematisch aus ihrem Job gemobbt, ihre Freunde und Kollegen stellen sich gegen sie, weil es ihr Chef auf sie abgesehen hat und alles daran setzt ihr das Leben zur Hölle zu machen. Die zweite Geschichte in dem Buch verfolgt ein Arzt, der Hausbesuche macht und der sich von einer Frau getrennt hat, die ihn nicht liebt, er sie dafür aber umso mehr.
Ich habe die Angewohnheit jedes neue de Vigan zu lesen, das herauskommt, meist einmal im Jahr. Bisher ist das Buch das beste von denen, die ich von ihr gelesen habe. Hätte mir am Ende aber etwas anderes gewünscht, aber de Vigan hat diese doofe Angewohnheit offene Enden zu lassen ;)
September 9, 2021
De Vigan vie majstrovsky na malom priestore vykresliť komplexitu a hĺbku ľudskej psychiky - frustrácie, obavy, odhodlanie aj nemohúcnosť, všetko, čo nás zožiera a zároveň robí tak zraniteľnými. Či už ide o vzťahy intímne alebo pracovné.
September 16, 2025
Um romance que se respira mais do que se lê. Delphine de Vigan transforma o quotidiano em tensão pura: cada gesto, cada silêncio, carrega uma violência quase invisível.
Mathilde, vítima de assédio no trabalho, e Thibault, médico das urgências, movem-se por uma Paris subterrânea onde a solidão vibra em cada carruagem.
Não há fecho redentor, e é justamente aí que mora a sua força, o realismo que expõe a fragilidade e a coragem de continuar.
4.5/5
Mathilde, vítima de assédio no trabalho, e Thibault, médico das urgências, movem-se por uma Paris subterrânea onde a solidão vibra em cada carruagem.
Não há fecho redentor, e é justamente aí que mora a sua força, o realismo que expõe a fragilidade e a coragem de continuar.
4.5/5
March 31, 2017
Tak táto kniha ma dostala. Táto útla knižka nám ukazuje na príbehu dvoch osamotených ľudí jeden deň v ich živote. Od rána až do večera. Na mňa tento príbeh zapôsobil veľmi silne. Vyvolal vo mne emócie a neskutočne intenzívne som prežívala každú stránku. Nie je to príjemný ani pozitívny príbeh, naopak je to smutný, depresívny príbeh o ľudskej samote v ruchu veľkomesta, ktorý nám ukazuje dvoch osamotených unavených ľudí, ktorí sa snažia preraziť vo veľkom meste, nájsť si svoje miesto pod slnkom a hlavne túžia po tom byť uznávaní a mať vedľa seba niekoho kto ich pochopí, podporí, pomôže a môžu sa na neho kedykoľvek obrátiť. Sú to dve samostné jednotky, ztratené duše, ktoré ani vlastne nevedia, že hľadajú jeden druhého. A my ako nezávislí pozorovatelia sledujeme ako sa ich cesty stretávajú a rozchádzajú a doufáme, prajeme im, aby sa stretli. Ale toto nie je ružový, romantický román, príbeh veľkej lásky. Autor má neskutočne skvelý rozprávačský talent a dokáže veľmi pútavo písať o bežných veciach, ktoré ľudia zažívajú, klasickom stereotype a do príbehu zapojiť aj vážnejšiu problematiku ako je napríklad psychická šikana na pracovisku, alebo problematika opustených starých ľudí, o ktorých sa nikto nezaujíma. Vynikajúce dielo, ktoré určite svojimi kvalitami vyčnieva medzi knihami, ktoré som za poslednú dobu prečítala. Ale ako som už spomínala, pripravte sa na to, že to nie je príjemné čítanie a mňa osobne ten príbeh veľmi emotívne zasiahol. Zároveň som ale za takýto druh príbehu rada, i keď navonok pôsobí ako banálny príbeh, opis života dvoch bežných ľudí, v skutočnosti toho v sebe skrýva neskutočne veľa. Je drsný so zaujímavou melódiou, poetikou a metaforami. A na záver v nás nechá otázku, že či nie je niekdy vzdať sa proste jediným riešením zdanlivo neriešiteľnej situácie? Že zachovanie vlastného psychického zdravia je to najdôležitejšie v živote, dôležitejšie než hrdosť, ktorá nám občas nedovolí sa podvoliť a priznať sa, že na tomto poli sme proste prehrali. A koľko toho človek dokáže zniesť až kým si uvedomí, že už je toho príliš? A kde je vlastne tá hranica? Veľmi silný príbeh, ktorý bude vo mne rezonovať ešte nejakú dobu.
June 19, 2012
Ici, pas de batailles héroïques, de héros qui sauvent le monde, d’érudits qui découvrent quelque chose de révolutionnaire. Non, juste deux personnes, une salariée Mathilde et un médecin Thibault, deux âmes vivantes mais écorchée, vidée, acculée par un monde indifférent mais ravageur. C'est incroyable comment l'être humain est à la fois si fragile et si résistant. Mathilde endure toute les pires horreurs, celle des non-dits, des mensonges, de l'hypocrisie, du mépris hiérarchique. Dans le monde rigide de l'entreprise, il n'y a pas d'insultes frontales, pas de cris, pas de gifles. La douleur physique n’existe pas, juste morale. On ne cherche pas à vous faire du mal. On vous ignore, on ne reconnait plus l’humain qui est en vous. Il faut faire semblant. Respecter les règles tacites. Un bonjour souriant. Un remerciement touchant. Une motivation inébranlable. Sinon gare à vous !
Mais ce roman ne fait pas de l’entreprise un lieu infernal pour autant, bien au contraire, Mathilde elle-même le sait, c’est aussi une machine à faire revivre, c'est par elle que Mathilde a repris goût à la vie. Et même quand son supérieur l'a foutu dans cet infâme bureau, l'espoir (gâché!) d'une mutation lui fait imaginer une multitude de choses. Le bonheur, cela tient aussi à cela, une imagination qui s'emballe, qui fait espérer. On hurle avec ces gens là. Ils hurlent intérieurement. Car ils ne savent plus crier à la face du monde. Comme pour pleurer ! C'est un roman où apparait souvent le verbe pleurer. Et pourtant, l'acte du pleur ne sera jamais décrit. On se raccroche à n'importe quoi. A une carte de WoW même, pourvu qu'on trouve un sens à une situation idiote. Et en trame de fond, la Ville, inextricable, tentaculaire, valétudinaire. Ce lieu où la nature n’a aucun droit, et où l’homme y a fait son nid. Bref, ce roman est une excellente surprise.
Mais ce roman ne fait pas de l’entreprise un lieu infernal pour autant, bien au contraire, Mathilde elle-même le sait, c’est aussi une machine à faire revivre, c'est par elle que Mathilde a repris goût à la vie. Et même quand son supérieur l'a foutu dans cet infâme bureau, l'espoir (gâché!) d'une mutation lui fait imaginer une multitude de choses. Le bonheur, cela tient aussi à cela, une imagination qui s'emballe, qui fait espérer. On hurle avec ces gens là. Ils hurlent intérieurement. Car ils ne savent plus crier à la face du monde. Comme pour pleurer ! C'est un roman où apparait souvent le verbe pleurer. Et pourtant, l'acte du pleur ne sera jamais décrit. On se raccroche à n'importe quoi. A une carte de WoW même, pourvu qu'on trouve un sens à une situation idiote. Et en trame de fond, la Ville, inextricable, tentaculaire, valétudinaire. Ce lieu où la nature n’a aucun droit, et où l’homme y a fait son nid. Bref, ce roman est une excellente surprise.
November 9, 2022
4,5
Me encanta cómo escribe esta autora, pero la historia no me convenció del todo. Eso sí, siento que es sólo un detalle, porque ella escribe muy bien, su narración me atrapa y envuelve.
Me encanta cómo escribe esta autora, pero la historia no me convenció del todo. Eso sí, siento que es sólo un detalle, porque ella escribe muy bien, su narración me atrapa y envuelve.
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