Book #57
How I Became Stupid by Martin Page
Twenty-five-year-old Parisian Antoine is sick. The disease? Intelligence. Desperate to find a cure for his overactive brain, Antoine considers alcoholism, suicide, and lobotomy, but none seems quite right for his special needs. A new job, though, is just the ticket. Accepting a position in his high-school friend's brokerage firm, Antoine finds the burdens of consciousness gradually slipping away.
I am hugely attracted to books set in France, especially when they are written by French authors. This is what happens when you are a Francophile. Unfortunately, being a Francophile also leads me down garden paths and allows me to dip myself into some seriously underwhelming novels. This is one of these novels.
The idea is interesting, but that is where it stops. The characters start off interesting - such as Antoine's friend who can speak only in rhyme - but they are only ever introduced; no one is developed or given any personality at all. This includes Antoine, our protagonist.
The last chapter is simply ridiculous, giving us the beginning of a rather indie love story and then ending abruptly.
Please don't go near this.