Acclaimed french author and journalist Dimitri Rouchon-Borie's latest book was the next one on the shelf of my local library and it is probably a book I would not have read, had I relied on the blurb on the back cover. It is a very dark imaginary tale written in somewhat brutal language that treads a fine line between a folk tale and a horror story. Not an easy book to read with its oral, vernacular style presenting some problems for this reader.

The story takes place in an unnamed country and epoch which could be after some dystopian event has caused a breakdown in technology. Gio has just come out of hospital after a six month stay, probably following a pitched battle between two rival gipsy families. He suffered a screwdriver in his scalp which has left a vivid scar as well as some alteration to his mental outlook. He lives in a caravan with mother and father, a teenage girl who earns her keep by sexual favours and a younger brother Papillion. There is a sense of the inevitability of retribution for the injury, but Gio is more interested in the natural world and his sense of wonderment when looking up at the night sky: he sees himself wandering amongst the stars. Gio is a giant of a young man and when the return battle takes place he becomes disorientated and grabs his brother and the teenage girl and leads them off into the forest. They hitch a ride on a train where Papillion stabs to death a hobo who tries to rape the girl. They get off the train when it stops at a town referred to as the capital and must eke out an existence amongst the ne'er-do-wells in the poor quarter. Gio's size and stature and his talent for managing horses earn them a place in a criminal gang and the teenage girl comes under the protection of a matriarchal figure, while Papillion can indulge his talent for artistic display. Gio continues to have his head in the stars and Papillon's inclination to violence means that the three have a precarious existence and it is no surprise when Gio takes to the road again...........

Doom and foreboding lead to the inevitable violent climax and while the harshness of the language seems to fight against the wonders of Gio's visions, there is no doubt in the power of the writing. It is an atmospheric book that left an impression on this reader, however if there is any moral or significance to the events that unfold then they were lost on me. An interesting reading experience which I would rate at 3 stars. ( )