Synopses & Reviews
One morning, Nothomb receives a letter from one of her readers, am American soldier called Melvin Mapple, who is fighting in Iraq. Horrified by the endless violence around him, he takes comfort in over-eating. Over-eating until his fat starts to suffocate him and he can barely fit into his XXXXL clothes. Disgusted with himself, but unable to control his eating, he takes his mind off his ever-growing bulk by naming it Scheherazade and pretending that he is not alone at night with his flesh.
Although initially repulsed, Nothomb is fascinated and begins exchanging letters in earnest with Mapple.
Review
"Amelie Nothomb is such an utter astonishment, the shock of reading her for the first time is like realizing you have inadvertently missed a whole movement, or century, in the scheme of things"
--Scotland on Sunday
"Her will-mannered prose, her clear and accomplished style, her aristocratic culture of a bygone day (Nothomb is the daughter of a Belgian diplomat)- perhaps this is why she has touched such a large audience in France, nostalgic for a time when French literature was preeminent among the arts and in the world"
--Boston Review
"Read Amelie Nothomb! It's a bit like opening a bag full of surprises."
--Le Globe-Lecteur
Synopsis
Life Form, Amelie Nothomb's nineteenth novel, defies all attempts at categorization. It is a smart, singular, surreal novel about personality and philosophy, trauma and healing, solitude and human connection from one of the most widely read and beloved authors working today.
One morning, the heroine of this book, a famous author named Amelie Nothomb, receives a letter from a fan, Melvin Mapple, an American soldier stationed in Iraq. Horrified by the endless violence around him, he takes comfort in eating. He eats and eats until his ever-growing bulk starts to suffocate him and he can barely fit into his XXXXL clothes. Disgusted with himself, but unable to control his eating, he names his excess self Scheherazade in the vain hope that his own flesh might keep an increasingly intolerable loneliness at bay.
Repulsed but also fascinated by Mapple's story, Nothomb begins to exchange letters with him. She opens up to Melvin about the challenges of being in the public spotlight and about her artistic processes. An epistolary friendship of sorts develops, one that delves into universal questions about human relationships. The bond between Mapple and Nothomb will undergo a sea change when the novelist discovers bizarre facts lurking behind Mapple's complex personal story.
Life Form is a riveting and topical novel by an author who never fails both to delight and to surprise her readers.
About the Author
Amelie Nothomb was born in Japan of Belgian parents in 1967. She lives in Paris. Amelie's books have been translated into over fifteen different languages and been awarded numerous prizes including Grand Prix Giono in 2008.