Book review: “Underground Time” by Delphine de Vigan
“Underground Time” (Bloomsbury trade paperback original, $16) by Delphine de Vigan (translated from the French by George Miller) gives a compelling look at urban isolation and hopelessness.
Mathilde, 40, a widow with children, takes the Metro every day to her job with a large multinational corporation. She loved her job until she had occasion to disagree with her boss. Since then, he has gradually taken away her duties and moved her to a back office abutting the men's restroom.
She has talked to the human resources manager to no avail, so she sits all day with nothing to do. She has gradually lost all her confidence and self-esteem.
Thibault is a paramedic who drives the streets of Paris to wherever his dispatcher sends him. The people he treats are usually alone, and sometimes he is their only communication to the outside world. Thibault's girlfriend just broke up with him, and he is depressed and lonely.
Both of these characters are having a hard time in a large, crowded city. Both are looking for someone to care about them. They would be perfect for each other, if only they would meet.
I love the author's writing style. This was a compelling novel, covering only 24 hours in each character's life. It is realistic in its treatment of work-related trauma and gives the reader the feeling of working life in modern-day Paris.
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