Fabre's unexpectedly touching novel has a laugh of its own behind its
low-key, smoothly translated narrative voice ... The city it evokes
isn't the Paris of tourists but of local people.--The New York Times
Fabre is a genius of these nuanced, interior moments ... The story Fabre
tells is that of every one of us: looking for meaning in the mundane,
moving through our lives, our interactions, as if through the fabric of
a dream ... How do we live? it asks to consider. And: What does our
existence mean?--Los Angeles Times
Guys Like Me is a short, arresting tale that ...not only offers keen
insights into the mind of its middle-aged protagonist, but also provides
the reader with a unique tour of what everyday life in the low-key
suburbs of Paris must truly be like.--Typographical Era
Readers will take pleasure in this well-told tale with a satisfying
ending.--Publishers Weekly
The setting may be Paris, but it's not the Paris of grand avenues and
pricey cafés. In fact, Fabre's hero is a recognizable everyman, from any
country.--Library Journal
A smile like a soft flash of light . . . travels through this moving
novel and tells, in words that are muted and profoundly humane, of life
as it is.--Le Monde
Fabre speaks to us of luck and misfortune, of the accidents that make a
man or defeat him. He talks about our ordinary disappointments and our
small moments of calm. Fabre is the discreet megaphone of the man in the
crowd.--Elle
In this novel one finds the intimate geography of an author who lays
bare the essence of Paris and its outskirts.--La Quinzaine littéraire
Dominique Fabre, born in Paris and a lifelong resident of the city,
exposes the shadowy, anonymous lives of many who inhabit the French
capital. In this quiet, subdued tale, a middle-aged office worker,
divorced and alienated from his only son, meets up with two childhood
friends who are similarly adrift, without passions or prospects. He's
looking for a second act to his mournful life, seeking the harbor of
love and a true connection with his son. Set in palpably real Paris
streets that feel miles away from the City of Light, Guys Like Me is a
stirring novel of regret and absence, yet not without a glimmer of hope.
Dominique Fabre, born in 1960, writes about people living on
society's margins. He is a lifelong resident of Paris, France. His
previous novel, The Waitress Was New, was also translated into
English.
