‘Back then, I was crazy.’ So begins Yannick Haenel’s novel, first published in his native French in 2017 and now receiving its English language publication, ably translated by Teresa Fagan.

This is a pretty bonkers book, to be honest. I’m torn between saying I loved it or was slightly irritated by it. Maybe both at the same time. Our central character, mostly nameless but perhaps called Jean, has written his magnum opus, a 700-page screenplay of the life of Herman Melville, but which is constantly being turned down by anyone he approaches. He becomes convinced that the best person to read it would be Michael Cimino, legendary American director of films such as ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘Heaven’s Gate’. Jean spends his days watching ‘Apocalypse Now’, finding philosophical profundity in every scene, and drinking heavily. We are deeply in the realms of a totally unreliable narrator as the novel constantly plays with the blurring of reality: we are never fully sure what is hallucination and what is actually happening.

Haenel throws in an abundance of Greek myths, contemporary references, nods to films and books and current affairs. This is a book full of a certain self-reference that could teeter into the verge of annoyance; again, I’m still not sure where I sit on that one, to be honest. As the narrative helter-skelters through a variety of semi-farcical events it soon becomes clear that this is some sort of quest that Jean has to make. He does get to meet Cimino in New York, whilst back in Paris he ends up meeting Isabelle Huppert and falling in love with a woman called Léna. He also manages to lose Sabbat, the dog he was looking after for his friend. As the various parts of his life become ever more complicated, he comes to realise a central truth: ‘Ultimately, that’s the only question: what do you hold dear? What do you truly hold dear?’

It's very French, it’s very po-mo, it’s an elusive and allusive journey to some sort of peace by the shores of Lake Nemi in Italy. I think in the course of writing this review I am edging towards a more positive view; I did enjoy it, and some of the scenes are just so odd that they become weirdly hypnotic. At times you are never quite sure if the central character is just paranoid or hallucinating or seeing the truth. The cultural references add to the sense that he is, quite simply, living in a world of his own, somehow outwith but part of social norms. Go with the flow, enjoy the crazy ride, and revel in an author willing to be slightly outrageous. I’ve talked myself into 4 stars, but try it for yourself!
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