Le deuxième mari

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Samuel knows nothing of the woman he is about to marry. For years his mother has spared no effort to make her son attractive, force-feeding him like a farm bird to achieve the ideal male roundness. His family is overjoyed. His bride-to-be is rich, and their financial problems will soon be resolved. Samuel need only be patient and learn to love her.

On this island, frozen in time, men must obey women. Any who attempt to disobey know the consequences: armed guards roam the streets. Once married, Samuel will have to cover his beard with a veil, satisfy all his wife’s desires, and keep his mouth shut. What can a second, eminently replaceable, husband do against a castrating regime, against the burning desire smoldering beneath his ample clothing?

With characteristic finesse and audacity, the author of The Orange Grove delivers an intricate novel like a skewed mirror, which upends social norms, prejudice, and willful blindness.