America, land of all possibilities? This cliché, Douglas Kennedy tears it to pieces in a black novel of burning topicality. The author points out the worrying regression of freedoms of all kinds, in particular the right to abortion. Fifty-something Brendan, a former sales manager, is now an Uber driver in Los Angeles. He has to work seventy hours a week to feed his family. His daily life would seem like an endless day if he weren’t interested in his clients and their stories. Like Elise’s. This retired university professor works as a volunteer to support women who have chosen to have an abortion.
Jean Hegland: “The Supreme Court decision on abortion steals part of our humanity”
In front of the clinic where he takes her, Brendan finds himself caught in an attack perpetrated by a pro-life fundamentalist group – a movement to which his wife Agnieska and his priest friend Todor belong. From this event, his regulated life changes. He who always respected the codes instilled by his father refuses for the first time to let his conduct be dictated. He will continue to escort Elise in her steps and puts her foot in a gear that forces her to a radical reassessment of her existence.
The sequel after the ad
–
Obsessive fanaticism
Douglas Kennedy – of which this is the twenty-fifth book – paints the revolt of a man humiliated by the system which gets rid of its chains. The author documented himself with precision before launching this powerful charge against the social violence which plagues America. The rise of a deeply misogynistic original Puritanism and the obsessive fanaticism of religious fundamentalists risk plunging the country into darkness.
Right to abortion in the Constitution: we asked their opinion to intellectuals
If history has taught us one thing, he writes, it is that “Those who believe they have the light often condemn others to darkness”. In a world destabilized by the moral and economic crisis, fear presides over chaos. Fear, this breeding ground for any totalitarian threat.
Men are afraid of the lightby Douglas Kennedy, translated from English (United States) by Chloé Royer, Belfond, 256 p., 22 euros.
In numbers
Born in 1955 in New York, Douglas Kennedy is the author of “The Man Who Wanted to Live His Life”, sold in France in 985,000 copies and adapted to the cinema, “The Pursuit of Happiness” (710,000 copies), “A dangerous relationship” (820,000 copies .) and “the Symphony of Chance” (630,000 copies).
–
