Friday Friyay: 'Painting Time' by Maylis de Kerangal, trans. by Jessica Moore

 Happy Friday everyone! We had lovely weather on Tuesday for Kingsday here in the Netherlands but since yesterday it has been grey and constantly on the verge of rain. It makes for great reading wheather, which means I still need to put in loads of work for my two assignments due today. Wish me luck!

Today I'm featuring a novel I'm very excited about, Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal and translated from the French by Jessica Moore.

Behind the ornate doors of 30, rue du Métal in Brussels, twenty students begin their apprenticeship in the art of decorative painting - that art of tricksters and counterfeiters, where each knot in a plank of wood hides a secret and every vein in a slab of marble tells a story.

Among these students are Kate, Jonas and Paula Karst. Together, during a relentless year of study, they will learn the techniques of reproducing materials in paint, whether animal, vegetable or mineral, and the intensity of their experience - the long hours in the studio, the late nights, the conversations, arguments, parties, romances - will cement a friendship that lasts long after their formal studies end.

For Paula, her initiation into the art of trompe l'œil will take her back through time, from her own childhood memories, to the ancient formations of the materials whose depiction she strives to master. And from the institute in Brussels where her studies begin, to her work on the film sets of Cinecittà, and finally the caves of Lascaux, her experiences will transcend art, gradually revealing something of her own inner world, and the secret, unspoken, unreachable desires of her heart.

A coming-of-age novel like no other: an atmospheric and highly aesthetic portrayal of love, art and craftsmanship from the acclaimed author of Birth of a Bridge and Mend the Living.

This novel will be released on the 13th of May, so the below quotes are from the uncorrected proof. Book Beginnings is at home on Rose City Reader, hosted by Gilion Dumas, and Friday 56 at Freda's Voice, hosted by Freda. I'll also be joining the Book Blog Hop, hosted by Charlie over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.

BB:

'Paula Karst appears in the stairwell, she's going out tonight, you can tell straight away, a perceptible change in speed from the moment she closed the apartment door, her breath quicker, heartbeat stronger, long dark coat open over a white shirt, boots with three-inch heels, and no bag, everything in her pockets - phone, cigarettes, cash, all of it, the set of keys that keeps the beat as she walks (quiver of a snare) - and her hair bouncing on her shoulders, the staircase spirals around her as she hurries down the flights, swirls all the way to the lobby, where, intercepted at the last second by the huge mirror, she pulls up short, leans in to fathom her walleyed irises, smudges the too-thick eyeshadow with a forefinger, pinches her pale cheeks, and presses her lips together to flood them with red (indifferent to the hidden flirtatiousness in her face, the divergent strabismus, subtle, but always more pronounced when the evening falls.' p.7 (first page)

Well that's quite an opening sentence! I love how we track Paula's movement down and how it's so descriptive you can almost picture it, like a painting. Which is of course the point. de Kerangal is training us, showing us what to pay attention to and what all these little different things mean.

F56:

'Paula nodded quickly, cheeks blazing, OK, see you tomorrow, and stepped back against the sink as Jonas shoved the keys into his pocket, yep, see you tomorrow - voice at minimum volume, succinct nod of the head.' p.56

I haven't reached this part of the novel yet I'm wondering what is in store for the friendship between Paula and Jonas!

Book Blogger Hop:

Today's question was submitted by Julie at Jade Sky:

What are some common tropes you've seen in a genre you like to read? Are there any books you've read that reverse or change those tropes?

Oooh this is such a good question! I love reading Fantasy and SciFi and there are so many tropes in those two genres that have existed for such a long time and frequently overlap. Many of them are also taken from earlier myths and legends, meaning there is a long history to them and they have definitely been reversed or changed over time. I guess one that has always fascinated me is the most straightforward trope of the Chosen One, the character that has to set out on a dangerous journey to save everyone. 

This is a trope we find back in most mythologies and Joseph Campbell's whole Hero's Journey cycle is a brilliant explanation of the different stages these heroes usually have to go through before they reach the end. These are not just stories of heroics, they are also often stories of ritual, of heroes having to step out of their comfort zone, face the darkness, and emerge stronger, better, a proper, adult, member of society. They are why so much fantasy is a coming-of-age story, a 'oh so this is what the world is really like' story.

There have been loads of larger and smaller changes to the basic staples of this trope, whether it is adding superpowers or switching the classic male hero for a female one, which has been a major trend the last ten or so years. My favourite reverses to this trope, however, still remains the Chosen One who fails. I know, bummer, but what can I say, I was raised on the Star Wars Prequels and appreciate the beauty of that slow, agonizing twist in the gut as you see it all go wrong. It doesn't happen as often in Fantasy or SciFi books these days, although there was a creeping trend for a few years in which main characters died at the end. It would always make me sad but then it also always added an extra element of bittersweetness to what had come before.

That was quite a ramble so I'm going to stop here and wish you all a happy weekend!