Before I go any further, I must say that I know Ben Constable. I met him as part of a coaching program… another one of his great skills. Still as a preamble, although I consider myself a good reader, reading a book in English is a real challenge for a French reader. Nevertheless, I launch into my literary criticism sincerely hoping that my appreciation is not be too influenced by knowledge of the author. Now that's out of the way... on to the book.
“Love and Invention” is a poetic novel with parallel narratives and intertwined stories: one about a village in France during the Second World War, one about the same village in the 2010s.
Sixteen-year old Maleck moved to Saint Jean (the French village) with a one idea in mind: going back to Paris where he made films with his friends. But his plan to escape was ruined by the post lady, who, in addition to knocking him off his bike, delivered a letter to him. This letter was written by his grandfather and had been sent ten years ago. In 2003, his grandpa, Abbas Ibn Firnas, 73 years-old, disappeared from the village. According to Yvette, an 83 year-old widow, Abbas literally flew away!
As always with Ben Constable, special care is taken with the writing. Literature is honoured. The crossed stories give a real rhythm to this novel and we are easily swept away by the lives of these colourful and literally bewitching characters. The characters face their destinies and seem to struggle, both against their own contradictions, and against the wonderfully described strength of the main story. "Love and Invention", thanks to the work of documentation and research as precise as it is chiselled, gives a very interesting vision of the war as it was experienced by the inhabitants of these villages deep in remote countryside.
Then, little by little, the main story and the mixed stories of the characters carry us off. We make friends, if not fall in love with, these characters and we find ourselves watching, hoping, imagining their adventures and the course of their lives. I particularly liked the chapters with Malek, which sometimes caused a feeling of anger or frustration when he deals with the bullies in Saint-Jean and dreams of becoming a filmmaker by imagining himself flying away from his little life. Maleck's film references are small traces that serve as beacons in our understanding of this character.
According to my perception as a reader, "Love and Invention" is an ode to non-adaptation and to the way everyone copes with it as best they can. I see in the metaphor of flight, the quest for a better wave that we all dream of as we escape from the wave in which we live.
Once again, I was totally seduced by the structure of the book, its alternation, the rhythm and music of the words. I like the description of the lives of these ordinary heroes because it gives free rein to imagination and reverie.
Isn't the characteristic of a book to lead us into this part of the imagination, beyond our everyday experiences? If so, "Love and Invention" wins this dreamlike gamble.