One of the things I noted (which is not unusual in Le Clezio's fiction) on rereading the short story collection 'The round and other cold hard facts' is the feeling of disconnectedness by most all of the characters presented. It's as if the world that men are creating for themselves is alien to his nature. It is nature and the natural world itself that provides the only solace for these individuals. It's been noted before in other places that Le Clezio is a writer of 'Sun' and 'Light' and also the 'Sea' and the 'Desert' for that matter. Landscape is very important as well. When Le Clezio sets his work in an urban enviroment such as in the title story here even the more or less innocent become cold and cynical--their attenae go up and survival becomes the major impulse. A few synopses:

In 'The Round' two young women Titi and Martine plan a small time robbery--cruising around on motorbikes they spot another woman waiting at a bus stop--circling the block they come around again and Martine yanks the ladies handbag away--both then speeding away towards an intersection--Titi goes right through without looking but Martine following with the bag is sideswiped by a moving van.

In 'Moloch' a young pregnant girl Liana lives alone in a trailer with her wolf dog Nick. Abandoned by her lover and feeling threatened by the outside world particularly in the person of a social worker who occasionally stops by to look in on her. It is boiling hot outside and she is not taking care of herself--eating infrequently and daydreaming in her stuffy and cramped trailer. The day comes when she has the baby. Increasingly paranoid she fears that the baby will be taken away from her so she abandons the trailer and sets out on the road with baby and dog in tow.

In 'The Escapee'--Tayar (an Algerian?) a convict escapes from a prison into a remote, depopulated and mountainous area. Without any food he gradually weakens. A boy finds him near a watering hole and later brings him food. On the point of physical collapse he finds solace gazing at the heavens and thinking about his childhood homeland. Later--as he lays helplessly the same boy leads the guards pursuing him to where he is.

In 'Ariadne'--a young teenage girl Christine wanders around her new neighborhood. Her family has recently moved into an apartment block. Being young Christine is stuck on her appearance and fashion. Going home alone at night she is surrounded by a group of boys on motorcycles who keep circling around her closer and closer until taking fright she runs off. Finding herself at her apartment house she enters only to find the same group of boys still wearing their motorcycle helmets. The boys take her down into the basement and gang rape her. When they're done they threaten her life if she tells anyone. The story ends with her fixing her appearance.

In 'Anne's game' a young man replays the events of the automobile accident that killed his fiance. On this particular day--the one year anniversary of that event he drives his car over a cliff at the same spot that his lover died.

In 'The runner'--Milos a Serbian crosses with a group of illegal workers over into France from Italy. Having handed over his identity card to the people intent on exploiting his labor and after months of that kind of rigamarole he finally confronts his bosses. The situation of having other illegals backing him up--they decide to pay him off but sending him packing on foot. At first he hangs around in France--sleeping at construction sites--but feeling alien and afraid of being arrested and deported he soon heads back to Serbia on foot.

The last story 'David' is about a 9 year old boy--looking for his runaway 14 year old brother in a large city. Stealing food and roaming around. At end of story he is caught stealing money from a cash register at a shoe store.

All in all it's a really fine collection of stories and a good place to start if you've never read Le Clezio before. Le Clezio's concerns with the natural world and ecology are evident enough but what mostly comes through at least for me is the empathy he has for the down and out, depressed and hurting protagonists of his stories. He has a real gift at getting to the heart of things. ( )