Tu y connais quoi, toi, a l'amour? by Vincent Francoeur

[Ulysses]

Tu y connais quoi, toi, à l’amour?
By Vincent Francoeur
Les Éditions David, 2024

It’s tricky to review this, because it has only been published in French. What makes it particularly interesting for francophones like me, however, is that it is a Canadian author, writing in Québec. I thoroughly enjoyed learning contemporary Québequois slang (such as “chum” for boyfriend and “blonde” for girlfriend). For all the cultural specificity of both the language and the setting, this is a story of universal truths.

Vincent Francoeur’s heartfelt, realistic novel is, could be, I suppose, classed as “new adult,” since its main characters are mostly in their early twenties. Although, as the title suggests, it is a story about love (I’d translate it as, roughly, “what is it that you, yourself, know about love?”) but it is not a romance. It is the opposite of romance in most ways, a tale of the complicated, heartbreaking, and life-altering choices that young people make in their quest to find what they think of as love.

Éric and Justin have been best friends since childhood, growing up in a distant suburb of Montréal. When they finished high school, they almost literally ran away together, leaving the constraints of their hometown for the wide-open possibilities of the Paris of the New World (my name). The two young men have lived together since they were teenagers, making their way without parental assistance in the big gay world. At 21, They have a nice flat, and decent jobs; but their ultimate goal is to enroll in what everyone calls Cégep (collège d’enseignement générale et professionel) which seems to be a provincial tertiary school system that offers two-year training courses. Justin wants to study art, while Éric is aiming at nursing.

Éric and Justin’s simple plan is complicated by attempts to find love, and those complications form the core of the narrative. Set in 2004, the story begins with Justin breaking up with his boyfriend Samuel, at the same time he decides to work as a pole-dancer in a gay club (which, of course, pays a lot more than his tedious job in a grocery store). Éric, on his part, has started a relationship with a much older man, Marc (who is maybe 34) who lives far away. Instantly you can see where the troubled waters will be as the plot unfolds.

A nice structural detail in Francoeur’s book is that the boys’ other friends (William, Katie, Francisco, Pedro) also have romantic complications—but these feel “normal.” William, who is very young and who I initially saw as “at risk,” seems to actually find romance after a rough start. This is a world of young people who party hard and are tempted by everything life offers them.

The point of the book is to remind us that being young is not easy. Finding your way in today’s world is not easy. Understanding the difference between lust and love is not easy. Having friends to support you and protect you is important. Look, I came out at university in 1975, and the story resonated deeply with my memories of those long-ago times.

If you can read French, grab this one.