Chimera Posted November 29, 2008 Share Posted November 29, 2008 Blurb from Play.com for The Scapegoat: His title is Quality Controller, but Benjamin's function at The Store is scapegoat for the rage of the customers. So sweet is his nature, so pathetic and eloquent his contrition, that most indignant victims withdraw their complaints. But there is also the matter of the bombs that keep exploding not far from where Benjamin is standing. Naturally, he becomes the prime suspect, even as he and his journalist girlfriend, Julie, have begun to unearth an even deeper mystery, a sinister and sordid conspiracy whose unraveling wilt expose yet one more seam in the dark heart behind the beguiling veneer of contemporary Paris. Daniel Pennac's novels of life in the Belleville Arab quarter are as funny as Damon Runyon's stories, as thrilling as Raymond Chandler's novels and as wild as the best of Carl Hiaasen. With The Scapegoat, Pennac has once again struck just the right balance. The Scapegoat is the first of a series of 6 novels which follow the crazy misadventures of Benjamin and his 'clan': the eldest son of a mother who keeps falling in love, disapearing for a few months and reapearing only to give birth to another child before setting of again with yet another lover, Benjamin has always been responsible for raising his numerous half brothers and sisters. Taking the (very loose) form of crime novels these books sometimes get quite dark but compensate with never ending humour and an absurd take on things - dont look for the plausibility of the plots, they arent meant to be! But what makes the charm of this saga is its evergrowing and highly endearing set of characters: Benjamin the professional scapegoat, Le Petit ('The Little One' - that's actually his name) who keeps having weird nightmares about ogres, Clara who conjures horror by photographing it, Jeremy who once set fire to his school, Gervaise the highly unortodox nun, Th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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