Jean-Marc Roberts' Novel of Nostalgia and Midlife Crisis

In 'Cinquante ans passés,' Jean-Marc Roberts shifts tone and subject to explore the nostalgia of the 1970s through the reunion of three old friends at a turning point in their lives. The narrator, Jean-Louis, and Richard, all over fifty, gather for a classmate's birthday but instead embark on a nocturnal road trip toward England, fleeing their responsibilities and reliving their youth. The novel is structured as a single night of 'dérive,' blending reunion film and road movie, punctuated by references to Elvis, Polnareff, Françoise Hardy, and Coca-Cola. Richard emerges as the central figure, a 'cursed friend' admired and feared, whose failed music career and mental health struggles (divorce, child, stays in psychiatric hospital) drive the narrative. Roberts, also a screenwriter, emphasizes the visual and musical quality of the story, with the car on the périphérique and a soundtrack. The book was published in 2006 and reviewed by Léa Bismuth in artpress.