This is one of Georges Simenon's noir novels (or, "romans durs," as he called them), in which a hardworking widow hires a killer just out of prison as a handyman. Their relationship quickly turns into something else, until he starts to fall for the girl next door. And then things really go downhill from there.While I love Simenon's Inspector Maigret mysteries, his noir novels are definitely his best work. The Widow is short, but powerful and dark. I definitely need to check out more of these.
I liked the novel for how it described the rural settings and life, but I was totally disappointed with how it ended. It did not make any sense to me. You think 'Jean' is a man who is totally lost in life, but in the end you realize he is just a stupid man. I felt angry with this character when the book end. I throw the book against the wall in anger.
ReplyDelete