After excellently navigating the streets of crime fiction (Regarde, Sauf, What We Need Is a Dead Man…), Hervé Commère is venturing into new horizons with his first general literature novel, Les Intrépides. In this novel, the characters offer readers a moment of whimsy.
As Raoul and Valérie’s marriage falters, they receive a letter: the building where they’ve lived since the start of their relationship is going up for sale, and all tenants are asked to vacate.
Hervé Commère, primarily known for his noir novels, tries his hand at a different style with Les Intrépides—a slightly different style, but not entirely so. The author knows how to create great characters, like Mat in Sauf or Mylène in Regarde. And Les Intrépides is no exception: Raoul, the hero and narrator through whom the revolution will come; his wife Valérie; Suzanne; Bastien; and the mysterious Dave Missouri are all delightful characters. These residents of a small Parisian building, living somewhat out of time, are horrified to discover that the building is being sold and that, as tenants, they have to leave…
Among people who hardly ever talk to each other, Raoul is going to lead a peculiar alliance to save their haven. Everyone will follow him because each has a good reason to stay here…
Individuality will take a back seat to the collective, and in this slightly mad quest that will take them on the road, in Raoul’s taxi, personalities will emerge. Hervé Commère succeeds in this neighborhood road trip; his realistic characters are not simplistic, and while the tone is decidedly positive, it is not overly sugary.
Les Intrépides is a genuine novel where whimsy unfolds through the pages thanks to comical situations, slices of life, and a refreshing breath of hope and optimism.
