#French Reading Challenge Humus

by Gaspard Kœnig (no photo)

Finish: 30.11.2023
Title: Humus
Genre: novel (380 pg)
Language: French
Rating: B+
Review:

Winner Prix Interallié and Prix Jean Giono 2023
Finalist Prix Goncourt and Prix Renaudot 2023

Quick scan: Two young agronomy students, Kevin and Arthur, are deeply concerned by the ecological crisis.
Kevin, from a family of farm workers, founded a start-up specializing in vermicomposting, skilfully navigating the world of green capitalism.
Arthur, born into a bourgeois family, tries to revitalize the family field, devastated by the intensive use of pesticides, but encounters unexpected difficulties in rural life.

Personal: I wanted to read a new book…that I ‘ve seen on many literary prize lists.
It took me 10 days to finish it. (380 pg) I was confronted with a completely new vocabulary about farms, worms, ecology, waste, manure, farming tools, compost, trees, animals etc. After 50% of the book my reading speed increased. That said…I still needed a good dosis of disciplined slow reading to start and finsh the book. BTW…I was surprised by the ending!

Last thoughts: I can see why Humus did not win the Goncourt Prize, France’s most prestigious literary award.
The book deals with a very “trendy” topic (ecology, ecocide)…but lacked the gravitas of great piece of literature. The French like their…gravitas.