The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, translated by Frank Wynne (out now, thank you @groveatlantic @netgalley for the eARC)

The Son of Man opens with a scene that is distant from the present day with a group of people whose focus is on maintaining their existence in a harsh world of threatening elements and diseases. Essential to their survival is the procurement of food, and the men, including a father and his young son, arm themselves with spears and approach a herd of deer grazing at the edge of the forest. This passing of the most primal aspects of human existence on to the next generation creates the framework for the rest of the novel that is set closer to the present day when an absent father reappears and takes a mother and their son to an completely isolated, more primitive existence in the mountains and the cycle of what is passed from generation to generation unfolds.

I was completely taken in by both the plot and writing of this novel. The narrative moves back and forth in time, swinging from past to present while slowly revealing the story. Miniscule hints are interjected that start to bring what is happening, and what may come to be, to light. It is such a slow, brilliant unfolding.

I thought a lot about the writing, trying to find words to describe it. The third person narrative that dominates the novel creates a deeply vivid picture of where the characters were and what they were doing, at times feeling matter of fact and detached, devoid of emotion, and at other times so full of feeling I physically reacted. The parts of the writing that keep the reader at arms length feel fitting as it emulates aspects of what the characters experience, reflecting a distance from feelings and emotions that is often necessary for survival and self preservation. At the same time, when emotion did seep into the narrative it was extremely effective; there was one scene that was so unexpected and disturbing it literally made me gasp and left me shaking. The novel slips into first person as well, and the use of the different points of view left me contemplating these choices and the meaning behind it throughout the novel. Ultimately, I love the writing, there are so many sentences I read multiple times; not to understand them, but to fully take them in and appreciate them.

The subject matter of this novel is heavy, but Del Amo’s use of language and structure offers a masterful exploration of how the past seeps into the present, how the norms of existence are deeply embedded into our souls, how trauma moves from generation to generation, and how even when we find ourselves repeating the past it can be embedded so deeply into our being that change can be insurmountable. Yet even with all of that, the desire to protect is there and I can’t help feeling a tinge of hope that the cycle can be broken. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo!

Jean-Baptiste Del Amo’s latest work "The Son of Man" is a very slow burn novel about the relationship between fathers and sons and how difficult it is to break the cycle of violence. Less than 250 pages but extremely intense and claustrophobic, this novel was not an easy read - I was actually considering of DNFing the book halfway through it. The father figure is impossible to tolerate, truly horrible. But thanks to the beautiful prose and the increasing pace of the story, I was sucked in quickly and read the second half in one sitting. It's violent, shocking, and the ending left me feeling empty and exhausted. I won't say more because I believe the beauty of this book is in the emotions it makes you feel, so I would recommend you pick it up if you enjoy translated literary fiction and you're looking for the perfect book club read.
Translated from the French by Frank Wynne,

* I'd like to thank Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A study in small moments. In the beginning, it felt like these minutiae were examined a little *too* closely and I had to fight to keep my attention. Beautiful prose despite the plodding pace.

A beautifully bleak slow burn of a book.

This book is at some points almost unbearably bleak and claustrophobic, is at some points quietly terrifying, but is at all times beautiful.

Award-winning author Jean-Baptiste Del Amo’s latest novel is another example of how French writers manage to pack an enormous amount of ideas into a relatively short length of text. With Frank Wynne’s recent translation into English, the rest if the world can now also read Del Amo’s claustrophobic 2021 novel Le Fils de l’homme.

At first glance, The Son of Man is about a single mother and her young son, whose peaceful, simple life is upended when the boy’s father reappears after being absent for most of the boy’s life. He insists on moving the family to an old abandoned house in Les Roches, in the mountains, where he grew up. However, not only does the house deteriorate quickly, but so does the pregnant mother’s physical condition and the man’s mental health. Caught in the middle is a young boy on the verge of adulthood who desperately needs a father figure in his life while also wanting to protect his mother.

Del Amo’s narrative explores the themes of man versus nature as well as the transmission of violence from generation to generation. The man, like his father, is prone to violent behaviour. This is not a light read, and it is infused with an ominous sense of dread and unease. It’s also reminiscent of fellow Frenchman Serge Joncour’s Wild Dog and will appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction with a bit more substance.

The Son of Man was an excellent read. I liked the character exploration and the writing was propulsive. I would read more from this author.

This was an amazing story that will stay with you way past being done reading it. Was brilliantly written.


There is alot of mixed feelings with this book but was a perfect book and will recommend.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Book Review: The Son of Man
Written by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo
Translated by Frank Wynne


The novel opens with a scene of prehistoric hunters and gatherers … telegraphing something of portent. We are about to embark on a journey, a story as old as time. Disorientingly fast, we flash to a time in modern history, where we meet a nine year old boy who was raised by his single mother. Out of the blue arrives the father, a stranger to the boy. After six long years, he has returned and is determined to make them a family again. He is resolute in his belief that the key to regaining the love of his woman and the boy, is to shelter far from society, in the mountain place, Les Roches, where he was raised by his own father. Through flashes of the past, we learn that the man’s father was a brut, and came to a violent and untimely death. Although initially wary, the boy falls in love with nature and appears to thrive in this idyllic setting. There is bird song, dappled sunlight, the chirrup of insects, wild horses, and yet, there is a pervading sense of dread, and mounting peril.

The Son of Man, is a literary fiction, originally published in 2021, and recently translated from French to English. On its surface, it is a beautifully written, sensual, coming of age story that slowly unfolds to its inevitable conclusion. In its depth, it is shadow and light, it is the story of humankind, of ones fragility and enduring strength, of love, of fathers and sons and their primal legacy of violence.

I was throughly engrossed in this melancholic gothic story. I found myself at times bracing or holding my breath. I highly recommend The Son of Man to lovers of literary fiction, fiction in translation, and those who wish to ponder big philosophical questions.

Many thanks to the author @JB.Del.Amo, the translator Frank Wynne, @GroveAtlantic and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this digital book in exchange for an honest review.

Although I thought the story was beautifully written I had mixed feelings about it. Too long and too many descriptions of places, smells, feelings, sounds and so on that sometimes made me just stop reading. The Son of Man, in my opinion, is the story of life and how actions and relationships tend to shape our lives.
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a novel that is beyond my ability to enjoy, while at the same time I can honestly say I recognize its brilliance. I came to the end of each sentence simultaneously thinking: "wow, that was an amazing sentence" ... and: "wow, that sentence really makes me feel irritable."

I can't remember having such a mixed feeling about prose before. I think my irritableness comes from how close the prose comes, to my way of reading, to being a perfect example of what I'd call "overwrought." Even as I know that other readers will be swept away by it.

Raw and earnest. Shadows and light . A sense of shadows and impending doom all the while shot through with such soft light, such elemental love between a son and mother. Steely men pounding out a shelter, a way of life on the earth, loving but not knowing how to show it, how to best make a woman feel sheltered beyond a space, a place. From the beginning you hear the rustles in the trees, you are present in the forest, in the dark rocks behind the imposing old house with its moans and secrets. You are the little boy timid to share his mind, the lovelorn mother ripe and unnoticed, the harsh steel father so lost in his vision. The prose is clutching, pulling, clawing, tearing, the emotions summoned warm and familiar and aching and bitter laced with sweet. Gorgeously done. I was held and broken by this book.

Jean-Baptiste Del Amo is a naturalist, family historian, fabulist, and conjurer of psychological dread all wrapped into one. His prose is as simmering and exact as the generational trauma that threatens to erupt with every passing page. In Frank Wynne's virtuoso translation, "The Son of Man" is a frightfully good, exquisitely wrought, deeply tense novel that seizes the reader's heart with equal parts foreboding and fascination: a perfect narrative artifact.

Thank you Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this ARC.

I decided to request this book due to the plot, as it sounded right up my alley. However, the translation didn't convince me, fully. I had the french version of the book at hand, and while comparing, I noticed a lot got lost in translation. I think this detail detered me from enjoying it fully.

The plot, however, was good. It was slow-paced but it drives you in.

DNF - I may endeavour to read this in its original language because I didn't vibe with the translation, it was not altogether what I was hoping it would be.

The Son of Man was a slow-paced but beautiful novel. I am in awe of the writing of Jean-Baptiste Del Amo. The introductory chapter was mesmerizing with it's lush descriptive language. I have not read a writing style like this before and look forward to reading more by this author. There were a few moments in the novel where I felt confused by the word choices and had to Google quite a bit to understand. Maybe this is just a result of awkward translating? This did not deter me from finishing the novel though it did take me longer to finish than I had anticipated. I would be interested in seeing a comparison of the English translation with the original French. I did struggle with the pacing a few times towards the middle of the novel but found the overall story line well-done and compelling.

This is a remarkable novel that I would recommend. Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is not an easy book to read. Although it has some beautiful writing, and some profound insights into relationships and people, it’s brutality and honesty is harsh and painful. Reading this book is like watching a war develop before your eyes. At times it is reckless and heartbreaking, but it is truly well observed.



A young boy lives with his mother in some town. Who knows where? She had the child when she was young and the man she had the child with is not in the picture until one day he is. He moves into their house without much fanfare and takes over their lives.



The woman acquiesces, and the boy has little choice but to observe the man who is his father. The story ricochets back and forth between the present and the time, from before the father, during and after. The family moves to a mountain retreat where the father spent time with his father called Les Roches. It is not in good condition and life is rough and filled with a lot of discomfort. They boy, who is no longer in school is left to wander the hills, take in nature and observe a slower life. He does learn, and becomes a keen observer. His mother and father don’t get the benefit of the setting. The father seems to wrestle with his past demons, his bullying ways become a big problem as he is a block to the family flourishing. The mother who is pregnant goes inward and is in no position to help her son as she can barely help herself.



The book is explosive and the ending does come as a great surprise. I do think that Jean Baptiste Del Amo is a fine writer and clearly a deep thinker.

I read The Son of Man in a new English translation (the French original was released in 2021), and while author Jean-Baptiste Del Amo has much to say about the universal human condition (and in particular, the relationships between fathers and sons going back to the dawn of man), I found there was something slightly lost in translation between this story set in recentish (it seems before cell phones and internet) rural France and where I find myself today. Still: I found myself very invested in the modern day timeline (whose heart wouldn’t go out to a nine year old boy meeting his dangerous father for the first time?), and while I didn’t find the plot to be exactly surprising, I thought that the storytelling was very compelling and flowed logically to prove the point that Del Amo appeared to be making about what fathers can’t help but pass down to their sons. This touched me, heart and mind, and I can’t ask for more. Recommended!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Really astonishing and beautiful prose. Loved the ending. The novel feels slow but the writing is immersive enough for the reader to keep on until the end.

This was a slow-burn suspense novel. The writing style is a bit dense, so it was a little hard to understand at first but once I got used to it, I was drawn in quickly to the story. I liked that the timeline navigates between present-day, at Les Roches, and the day the father returns into the family’s lives. I hated the father, but appreciated how he was made complex by his own issues with his father. I absolutely loved the ending and the scenes leading up to it - I was holding my breath. This book had stunning prose, suspenseful build, and deep explorations of family.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC.