I’m still unsure of what to think of this book. I found it really interesting for the way in which it is written, mixing narrators and verb tenses. Which is a pretty hard thing to do and at the same time, have a coherent story, mind you. So, I’ll credit Duras for it. Good job, Marguerite!

The plot is simple enough (maybe because the style is so crazy and disorganized): a girl (going to school is Saigon) meets the son of a rich Chinese man. He falls in love with her and she becomes his lover. It’s kind of ambiguous on her side, because she is clearly aware of the advantages being the mistress of a rich man has for her. Though I think she ended up having feelings for him. At least she read as being sorry for losing him. She realizes later about her feelings, I guess. She was a kid when they first met, about fifteen.

Of course, neither of their families agrees with their relation. The girl’s family is white, and they clearly look down on the Chinese, despite their money. And the Lover’s father is very much opposed to his son’s relationship with a poor white girl. So, her brothers are disrespectful towards him, and he puts a good face.

Despite the way in which the novel is written, you can still follow the plot and all that. Which is a good thing when the narrator keeps changing.

However, it was really hard for me to relate to any of the characters in this novel. I don’t mean that I have to identify with all the characters in every novel I read, but I need to feel some empathy. And that was completely absent here. Zero, nil, nada. I just couldn’t feel with them. And it’s kind of tough when you can’t feel sorry for two lovers who are separating forever.
So, three stars because Duras managed to do a pretty difficult technical feat. The plot and the characters didn’t do much for me, actually.