French Exit: A Tragedy of Manners
By Patrick deWitt
(244 pages, fiction, 2018)
French Exit is slang for the term French Leave, which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “an informal, hasty, or secret departure.” French Exit by Patrick deWitt is a dark comedy of manners riddled with abrupt exits and a sneaky sentimental core. Frances Price, an iconoclastic, wealthy widow lives on the Upper East Side of New York with her adult son, Malcolm, and Small Frank, their vindictive cat (who may or may not be more than just a cat). Frances has lived her entire life as a member of the non-working financial elite. When her infamous husband dies unexpectedly, leaving her widowed and surrounded by scandal, she brings her son, Malcolm, home from boarding school.
The story begins with Malcolm as an adult still living with his mother while continuing to drift aimlessly through life. He has a devoted fiancée whom he procrastinates marrying due to his mother’s social contempt for her. Frances, meanwhile, finds out her husband’s money has run out and she is insolvent. Her financial advisor instructs her to liquidate her belongings, which she does abruptly. Her sole friend offers her a place in her vacant apartment in Paris, France. Determined to discreetly exit her disgraceful circumstance, Frances hastily cashes in her belongings for 200,000 Euros, stuffs Small Frank full of Valium, rounds up Malcolm and catches a boat to France. On their journey to a fresh start, they pick up a mad-cap entourage of characters including a fortune teller, a wine merchant, a detective, and more. The story gets a bit darker before finding its resolution with Frances making a series of seemingly nihilistic decisions.
What I enjoyed most about this book is how it explores the nature of human relationships, trauma, and identity under the cloak of an absurdist dark comedy while stealthily revealing a sentimental heart.
This book is available at both the Concord Public Library’s Heights and Main branches and as a downloadable audiobook on Hoopla.
Visit Concord Public Library online at concordpubliclibrary.net.
Sarah Frost
