Abstract
Pierre Lemaitre’s thrillers revolve around the domestic. They present crime that invades the domestic sphere, as criminals target the detective’s personal life or, alternatively, criminal behaviours that originate from a traumatic family past. His novels also comment on rape, sexual violence and the disruption of human relations under global capitalism.
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- 1.
Since only some of Lemaitre’s novels exist in English translation, this study is based on the original French novels but I will use English titles, when available, in the running text for the sake of readability. Nonetheless, all direct references are made to French editions, not least for the sake of originality.
- 2.
Pierre Lemaitre, Trois jours et une vie (Paris: Albin Michel, 2016).
- 3.
It is unusual for France’s most prestigious literary prize to be awarded to a crime novel.
- 4.
Andrew Pepper, Unwilling Executioner: Crime Fiction and the State (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), p. 228. Oxford scholarship online.
- 5.
Julia Crouch, “Genre bender”, http://juliacrouch.co.uk/blog/genre-bender [accessed 23 November 2016].
- 6.
Ruth Dugdall, “Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Domestic Noir”, Female First, 31 October 2015, http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/nowhere-girl-ruth-dugdall-889157.html [accessed 23 November 2016]. Sue Turnbull, “Domestic noir review: Home has never been more dangerous”, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 2016, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/domestic-noir-review-home-has-never-been-more-dangerous-20160429-gohwiw.html [accessed 23 November 2016].
- 7.
Declan Burke, “SJ Watson I presume? Shining a light on a star of domestic noir”, Irish Examiner, 23 May 2015, http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/books/sj-watson-i-presume-shining-a-light-on-a-star-of-domestic-noir-332139.html [accessed 24 November 2016].
- 8.
Valerie Trierweiler, “Pierre Lemaitre, remords aux trousses”, Paris Match, 10 March 2016, http://www.parismatch.com/Culture/Livres/Pierre-Lemaitre-remords-aux-trousses-926991 [accessed 28 November 2016].
- 9.
https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781848666009. When I started writing this chapter, in the spring of 2016, Pierre Lemaitre’s work had never been associated with such authors and novels. It seems likely that the publishing house has caught on to the current popularity of the domestic noir trend and sees an opportunity to enhance sales figures by linking Lemaitre’s work to it.
- 10.
Stewart King, “Crime Fiction as World Literature”, Clues: A Journal of Detection 32.2 (2014), 8–19 (p. 13).
- 11.
Pierre Lemaitre, Alex, pocket edition (Paris: Le Livre de Poche, 2012), pp. 178–181.
- 12.
Pierre Lemaitre, Sacrifices, pocket edition (Paris: Le Livre de Poche, 2014), pp. 351–353.
- 13.
See “Comment le thriller domestique s’est imposé”, Lire 454 (April 2017).
- 14.
S.J. Watson, Before I Go to Sleep (London: Black Swan, 2012), pp. 339–340.
- 15.
Pierre Lemaitre, Travail Soigné, pocket edition (Paris: Le Livre de Poche, 2015), pp. 347–357.
- 16.
Travail soigné, p. 99.
- 17.
Sacrifices, p. 239.
- 18.
Travail soigné, pp. 106–107.
- 19.
Verhœven ascribes much of their difference to their sex: he is a man, Irène is a woman.
- 20.
Crime Fiction Lover, “Domestic noir on Brum Radio …”, 4 July 2016, http://www.crimefictionlover.com/2016/07/domestic-noir-on-brum-radio/ [accessed 25 November 2016].
- 21.
Sacrifices, p. 49.
- 22.
Alex, p. 11–13.
- 23.
Pierre Lemaitre, Cadres noirs, pocket edition (Paris: Livre de Poche, 2011), p. 415.
- 24.
Cadres noirs, p. 441.
- 25.
Alex, p. 397.
- 26.
Pierre Lemaitre, Robe de mariée, pocket edition (Paris: Livre de Poche, 2010), p. 310.
- 27.
Pierre Lemaitre, Rosy & John (Paris: Livre de Poche, 2013), p. 141.
- 28.
Robe de mariée, pp. 22–23, 59–60.
- 29.
Travail soigné, pp. 18, 25.
- 30.
Sacrifices, p. 105.
- 31.
Sacrifices, p. 326.
- 32.
Alex, p. 68.
- 33.
Paula Hawkins, The Girl on the Train (London: Doubleday, 2015), pp. 265–267.
- 34.
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl (London: Phoenix, 2013), p. 417.
- 35.
Trierweiler, “Pierre Lemaitre, remords aux trousses”.
- 36.
Véronique Desnain, “Style et idéologie dans le roman noir”, Itinéraires 1 (2015), https://itineraires.revues.org/2685 [accessed 27 November 2016]. See also Véronique Desnain, “Le polar, du fait divers au fait d’histoire”, Itinéraires 3 (2014), https://itineraires.revues.org/2557 [accessed 25 November 2016].
- 37.
Lee Horsley, “May 1968, Radical Politics and the Néo-Polar”, in French Crime Fiction, ed. Claire Gorrara (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2009), pp. 71–85 (p. 71). See also David Platten, The Pleasures of Crime: Reading Modern French Crime Fiction (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2011), pp. 93–108.
- 38.
Jean-Patrick Manchette, Chroniques (Paris: Editions Payot & Rivages, 1996), p. 12.
- 39.
Pepper, p. 228.
- 40.
Pepper, p. 210.
- 41.
Desnain, “Style et idéologie”.
- 42.
Alex, pp. 335, 338.
- 43.
Pepper, p. 3
- 44.
Pepper, p. 12.
- 45.
Maureen Reddy, Sisters in Crime: Feminism and the Crime Novel (London: Continuum, 1988), p. 108.
- 46.
Yvonne Carmichael, the main character in Apple Tree Yard, neatly sums up how expectations on proper female behaviour subject women to prejudicial and unfair treatment in legal procedures: “Three decades of being the most respectable science professional or suburban mother count for nothing against one fuck in a doorway”. Louise Doughty, Apple Tree Yard (London: Faber and Faber, 2013), p. 322.
- 47.
Julia Crouch, “Genre bender”; Rebecca Whitney, “Domestic Noir is bigger than ever; top ten releases for 2015”, The Independent, 13 January 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/domestic-noir-is-bigger-than-ever-top-ten-releases-for-2015-9975488.html [accessed 25 November 2016].
Works Cited
Burke, Declan. ‘SJ Watson I presume? Shining a light on a star of domestic noir’, Irish Examiner, 23 May 2015. http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/books/sj-watson-i-presume-shining-a-light-on-a-star-of-domestic-noir-332139.html
Crouch, Julia. n.d. ‘Genre bender’, http://juliacrouch.co.uk/blog/genre-bender. [accessed 23 November 2016].
Desnain, Véronique. ‘Style et idéologie dans le roman noir’, Itinéraires 1 (2015), https://itineraires.revues.org/2685 [accessed 27 November 2016].
Doughty, Louise. Apple Tree Yard (London: Faber and Faber, 2013).
Dugdall, Ruth. ‘Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Domestic Noir’, Female First, 31 October 2015, http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/nowhere-girl-ruth-dugdall-889157.html
Flynn, Gillian. Gone Girl (London: Phoenix, 2013).
Hawkins, Paula. The Girl on the Train (London: Doubleday, 2015).
Horsley, Lee. ‘May 1968, Radical Politics and the Néo-Polar’ in French Crime Fiction, ed. Claire Gorrara (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2009), pp. 71–85 (p. 71).
King, Stewart. ‘Crime Fiction as World Literature’, Clues: A Journal of Detection 32.2 (2014), pp. 8–19.
Lemaitre, Pierre. Alex, pocket edition (Paris: Le Livre de Poche, 2012).
Lemaitre, Pierre. Cadres noirs, pocket edition (Paris: Livre de Poche, 2011).
Lemaitre, Pierre. Robe de mariée, pocket edition (Paris: Livre de Poche, 2010).
Lemaitre, Pierre. Rosy & John (Paris: Livre de Poche, 2013).
Lemaitre, Pierre. Sacrifices, pocket edition (Paris: Le Livre de Poche, 2014).
Lemaitre, Pierre. Travail Soigné, pocket edition (Paris: Le Livre de Poche, 2015).
Lemaitre, Pierre. Trois jours et une vie (Paris: Albin Michel, 2016).
Manchette, Jean-Patrick. Chroniques (Paris: Editions Payot & Rivages, 1996).
Pepper, Andrew. Unwilling Executioner: Crime Fiction and the State (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016).
Platten, David. The Pleasures of Crime: Reading Modern French Crime Fiction (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2011), pp. 93–108.
Reddy, Maureen. Sisters in Crime. Feminism and the Crime Novel (London: Continuum, 1988).
Trierweiler, Valerie. ‘Pierre Lemaitre, remords aux trousses’, Paris Match, 10 March 2016, http://www.parismatch.com/Culture/Livres/Pierre-Lemaitre-remords-aux-trousses-926991.
Turnbull, Sue. ‘Domestic Noir Review: Home Has Never Been More Dangerous’, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 2016, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/domestic-noir-review-home-has-never-been-more-dangerous-20160429-gohwiw.html [accessed 23 November 2016].
Watson, S.J. Before I Go to Sleep (London: Black Swan, 2012).
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Hynynen, A. (2018). Crime, the Domestic, and Social Commentary in Pierre Lemaitre’s Thrillers. In: Joyce, L., Sutton, H. (eds) Domestic Noir. Crime Files. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69338-5_13
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