Gaëlle Obiégly's 'Mon prochain' Explores Fleeting Encounters

Gaëlle Obiégly's novel 'Mon prochain,' published by Verticales, examines the concept of 'my neighbor' through a series of fleeting encounters. The narrator's attention is captured by various individuals—a stranger in a bar, on a bus, at the zoo, a taxi driver—each rendered unique by small details. Some figures, like a friend named gaëlle (lowercase), play a more lasting role. The eight-part fiction weaves together disparate narrative threads: a friend fired from Starbucks, commissioned articles the narrator never writes, a botched murder on the US West Coast committed by youths, a menial reception job where a janitor offers solace, visits to Dublin Zoo, pub scenes, and Bloomsday celebrations. Events unfold without clear causality, linked by chance. A disgust with writing, equated to prostitution, pervades the work. Despite the futility of expression, moments of phosphorescent intensity capture time for analysis. Olivier Renault reviewed the book for artpress.