By Antoine Volodine
Translated from the French by Alyson Waters (she also does a lot of Ponti's books, which you have to check out!)
Published by Archipelago Books
Mom's Review
As someone who has read her fair share of post-apocalyptic novels, I have to say that The Monroe Girls is the richest, most thought-provoking mind trip of a reading experience I've had in this genre. Volodine constructs a world where the dead aren't really dead - you can come back, but it isn't quite clear how. And the dead can sometimes move their corpses or converse with the living. Plus, the remaining world seems to be confined to the decaying campus of a healthcare complex. The rules of this world are revealed as you read and realize just what is going on with the main narrators.
Reading The Monroe Girls is like you are caught in a dream (or nightmare?) whence you can't escape, but don't want to because it is imperative that you find out what happens next. And the premise of the story is this: post-apocalypse, the Party tries to assert control over the remaining living and the dead, all while a dead Monroe tries to regain his control over the Party and come back to life. What ensues is a condensed epic journey across the campus where our main figure Breton tries to connect with one of Monroe's girls who have come from the dead, then escort her to a safe house. While the narrative is full of suspense, the reader can't help but think about the meaning of politics, the role of death in our society, and how important it is to us as humans to identify with some group where we can feel a sense of belonging. The Monroe Girls is a compelling post-apocalyptic adventure with shades of girl-power, which will leave the reader contemplating what impact we can leave behind when we die. It is a fairly quick read, so if you are on the fence about reading some contemporary French literature or the post-apocalyptic genre, The Monroe Girls is the way to go.
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