Missing Person by Patrick ModianoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I made a mistake in looking at a few reviews of this novel before I read it. I was taken by the idea of a lyrical novel about what is identity. I was looking forward to reading a mystery by a Nobel Prize winner.
Had I not read the reviews and description of the novel, I'd have enjoyed it for what I thought it was: a modern existentialist novel in the style of Camus and Sartre. Once I gave up looking for a genre novel, I loved this book.
Yes, there is a mystery in that the missing person, the narrator, has no idea who he is. His search is for identity, the "who am I" question. His conflict lies in desperately wanting to belong somewhere to the extent he tries on different names to see if he is that person.
If a reader is looking for a mystery, this is probably not the book for you. If, however, you are looking for a study in the meaning of identity, this slim volume will entertain and inform.
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