Published in January 2024 by Gallimard. 208 pages long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A chance encounter with a Schwarzenegger film and a young man's life changes forever in this unique tale of a young narrator desperate to prove himself a man through bodybuilding. The 23-year-old launches into a monologue to an unknown listener and scarcely pauses for breath until the book comes to an end. He rambles, contradicts himself and occasionally backtracks as the story progresses; he exaggerates to the point of absurdity and there is an enormous amount of humour and fun in this tale. Yet it also works on different levels, and there is a fundamental darkness to it: how can today’s young man make his way in the world? How can he appeal to women, and how can he achieve everything that his hormones are striving for? Through the narrator’s perceived machismo – ultimately his downfall – Malzac highlights the toxic masculinity prevalent in society especially for young men and boys, its prejudices, and the homophobia underpinning it.