and the something happens 

Philippe Besson: Summerboy. 2026

They embody the recklessness of youth, yet the gravity to tragedy hang above all and then it happens and the innocence is lost destroyed gone for good. 

This is the short version how I would describe Besson ´s latest, Summerboy.

In April I read my first Besson. I loved ti. To me it was a fresh and powerful beautiful and raw description of a life of a young boy, a young man finding himself, his desires, his love, his sexuality and now, Besson ´s latest, Summerboy, is a sequel to Lie with me, but very well works as an individual book, too.

Summerboy, as Lie with me, too, was a quick read. I really enjoy these shorter books, somehow it gives me pleaseure knowing that once I start, there is no stpes or hurdles to end it. This I will manage, no matter what, I sometimes think even though I do leave unread books if I just do not find anytíhing of interest in the text.

I enjoyed Summerboy a lot. There is the same protagonist as in Lie with me, much like author himself, and again the setting is in south of France (in south west of France, places I know so that is so good too).

This is a summerbook, light, full of laughter and the hotness of the sun, yet there is a bad lurking all through the text, bad that the characters do not foresee.

So,there is a bunch of 18 - years olds (and a very perciptive 13-year old girl) and the young hang about on the beach, listen to Modern Talking and all the hits of 1985 and they go to discos and they do they summerjobs and talk about anything and everything and nothing and one of the strong points in this book was the dialogue. It was fresh it was beliavable it was the real thing.

And then, the tragedy which was haning over the text, the worst possible happens and it stick in mind, the unlived life, the circumstances, the unknown and the only thing left was confusion, sadness (and Besson his writing career:-)