“An author can write the most farfetched or implausible story ever, but there will still be readers who will say: ‘I don’t believe it: you wrote the story of my life!'” Food for thought… many lines in this book made me think and reflect. Are books moving to form over substance? Is the story around it more important than the story within? In The Mystery of Henri Pick, David Foenkinos makes fun of popular books: are they popular because they are such good books or because of the story behind it. And if it’s the latter, does it matter? An interesting person or story sells at least as well as a good book. If your book becomes a success by accident, shouldn’t you just celebrate your mastery of luck?

The Mystery of Henri Pick is not a book I read from front to cover. New characters get introduced so frequently, that I couldn’t connect to any of them. Whenever the book switches to the point of view of a new character, I would take a break from reading. This can be a positive thing if you only want to read a few pages a day, but negative if you like to read a book in one or two sittings. Because of this I felt less immersed, as if I were merely a spectator. 

Which brings me to one last thought: what if the book that is meant for me won’t ever exist? Perhaps it won’t ever be written, finished, published, or it has been published out of my sight? In case it is the latter, the book would be a perfect fit for the library of invisible books… At least The Mystery of Henri Pick has a different destiny, because I found it and recognize its existence.

Translated from French by Sam Taylor.