‘Honeymoon’ by Patrick Modiano    (1990) – 120 pages                        Translated from the French by Barbara Wright

During World War II, from June of 1940 until August of 1944, France was occupied by German forces. During this time it was extremely dangerous to be Jewish or for the authorities to find out that you were Jewish. ‘Honeymoon’ is a novella about those perilous times in France.

The year is 1942, and Ingrid and Rigaud are staying at the Dodds Hotel and pretending to be on their honeymoon. That reassures the other guests and hotel staff.

“If young people still went on their honeymoon, it meant that the situation wasn’t as tragic as all that and that the earth was still going around.”

Complicating matters, Ingrid is only 16 years old, Austrian-born, and a Jew.

While exploring the streets near the Dodds Hotel, they see this man in a city suit sitting on a bench reading a newspaper. They repeatedly run into this man, who is often seen writing things into his notebook. Was this man spying on the hotel guests, in particular on Ingrid and Rigaud?

The story in ‘Honeymoon’ is told from the point of view of someone from the outside, 40 year-old Jean who later becomes friends with Ingrid and Rigaud. Jean has problems of his own. His wife Annette is having a long-term affair with his best friend Cavanaugh. Jean is by nature an explorer and has spent most of his adult life exploring Brazil. However now he is pretending to his wife to again visit Brazil, but is actually staying in Paris.

Later in the story, it is several years after 1942, and Jean has found out about the suicide of Ingrid. He secretly investigates what happened to Ingrid and find, if possible, the whereabouts of Rigaud.

”What a strange idea to come and commit suicide here, when friends are waiting for you in Capri. . . What caused her to do it I might never know.”

I have read three of these short novellas by Patrick Modiano, and ‘Honeymoon’ is my favorite so far. Modiano has a natural way with stories. ‘Honeymoon’ is very much in the style of Modiano’s other works, remembering the people we meet along our own winding, twisting way and wondering whatever happened to those we have lost contact with.

“I know the life stories of these shadows is of no great interest to anyone, but if I didn’t write it down, no one else would do it,” – Patrick Modiano, ‘Ring Roads’.

Grade :   A