‘Fatale’ by Jean-Patrick Manchette - A review
‘Fatale’ was Jean-Patrick Manchette’s penultimate noir (I’m obviously excluding the posthumous ‘Ivory Pearl’) and rather interestingly was rejected by publisher Galliard for their ‘Série noire’ series. Instead, released as a standalone and suffering because of the incongruence between those expectations (not to mention price point) and its length and content.
Onto the book itself, we follow Aimee Joubert, which we learn is one of her many names, as she ingratiates herself into the upper society of the small French town of Bléville. Here she learns all about the key players, from the prominent doctor, the police commissioner, the industrialists who practically run the town and the old drunken Baron who really ought to be committed and kept locked up.
In the opening few chapters Manchette lays out a lot of intrigue around our killer protagonist, inviting assumption based on what little we know, before lifting the veil slightly later to provide the backstory to Aimee’s life, and to a degree, explains why she does what she does? And what is that you say?
The character of Aimee remains a mystery throughout. She changes name, appearance and even the brand of cigarette depending on who she is pretending to be, and unlike in other Manchette novels, there is a distinct lack of music within this piece. In fact, Aimee leads a very solitary lifestyle, despite her “work” as a social butterfly. She rejects any notion of romance, preferring herself, and shuns genuine friendship or closeness. This makes it both difficult to know her but also is necessary for her to do what she does.
Anyhow, once she has befriended the bourgeoisie, she then observes them, learning their quirks, scandals and weaknesses, which she then sets out to exploit. Here, Manchette does a wonderful job of displaying the self-obsessed, vain, and sometimes repulsive personalities of the powerful. Highlighted, perhaps by a stark and desensitised way of presenting the death of a baby, which while horrific for the mother (although I felt little sympathy for her based on her inconsiderate attitude while it was alive) was merely an inconvenience to others. Something to be hushed up.
As the many smaller indiscretions (not to mention the catastrophic negligence shown by a couple of them) build up, Aimee’s attitude towards her new social group hardens, and she executes her plan with great success, only to realise too late that something is different. It’s off.
From here, Aimee’s internal and external world crumbles within a bloody and violent finale. Although I have to admit, I was less than enthused by the final chapter, whether this was because it wasn’t for me or because I didn’t feel that it was true to the story (who am I to say that?), I couldn’t tell you. That, however, is a very minor thing.
Wonderfully written, being both direct and imbued with subtle, hinted at politics and humour, Manchette’s behavioural depiction of his characters somehow brings you in while keeping you detached.
All that said, if you are new to Manchette I would recommend starting with one of the following instead; ‘Three to kill’, ‘Nada’, or ‘No room at the morgue’. It is also worth noting that his writing is of the time, and so the omniscient almost detached style might take a little getting back into at the beginning.
Also worth noting, the foreword (David Peace) and the afterword (Jean Echenoz) are not only interesting but also highly insightful, providing added value to the Serpents Tail release (translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith), and I highly recommend this copy.
This story was also adapted for the graphic novel format by Max Cabanes and Doug Headline (Machette’s son) and a shorter version, or 21 pages was done by Jaques Tardi and translated by Jenna Allen back in 1980.
