While I am very grateful to have received this translation from NetGalley, I simply had a hard time finishing it. The style is poetic and literary, which is perhaps one of its saving graces. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep me entertained.

For me, the novel lacked a certain nuance, and the main character was terribly one-note throughout. I found him to be vapid, and the two main characters with which he interacts were poorly developed. It was hard to become interested in them. The relationship between Arthur and Vincent felt raw while the relationship between Vincent and Marcel felt unnecessary.

Lastly the good, I must admit the prose is one of beauty. At its core, ‘In the Absence of Men’ is an exploration of forbidden love and resilience in the face of adversary. It’s poetic and reflective, if a bit dense and opaque.

This book wrecked me, Completely undid me. If you’re a fan of In Memoriam by Alice Winn, this is very similar if a little more literary in its writing style. One of my favorite books possibly of all time, It’s a historical fiction novel but there are so many timeless and modern notes on longing, grief, identity, and love that you will feel intimately connected to the characters and their world. The prose is very intentional, with no word used without reason—potentially the work of the translator? So if I have any critique it would be that, as the prose can be hard to sink into at first, but you quickly get used to it.

“In The Absence of Men” is lush, lyrical, poignant and provocative. There will be many who protest and rage about the subject matter in this book. A love story/coming of age story told by a 16 year old boy and concerning men older than him. As someone who lived that and was the 16 year old boy at one point, I can attest to its truth and reality and will not be commenting on any other aspect of it for this review. What I will say is that this is a story so simple and beautifully told that it hurts. A tale of first love, loneliness, desire, loss, companionship and the forms those things take. The writing is flourishing and fanciful. Gorgeous. I loved this book. It spoke to the 16 year old I once was and the 42 year old I am now in extremely
Different ways and it was a wonderful read. Thomas of Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

Philippe Besson’s “In The Absence of Men” is my second Besson novel and while not as “enjoyable” as “Lie With Me,” it was still as touching and heartbreaking if not just too wordy and imbalanced (more on that in a moment.)

Absence follows three men — Vincent, sixteen and still too young to fight in the ongoing war, Marcel, a middle-aged writer and aristocrat, and Arthur, a young soldier on leave who starts a “secretive” affair with Vincent — across three distinctive parts. The second and third are my favorite given the way the story is presented: letters between these men and a more focused story as we head to the end. As I noted above, my favorite parts are also the shortest — I wish we had spent more time with two of these men in particular (Vincent and Arthur) in part 2. These letter between them feel real thanks to Besson’s writing but by the time I got to this, I was feeling a bit burned with the flowery and wordiness of the first part.

While Besson’s novel has stumbles here and there, this is a touching and heartbreaking novel of first love up against the destruction of war - destroying normalcy and life - and how love preserves despite it. Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.

Philippe Besson does a fantastic job in writing this book, it had that element that I was looking for and was invested in what was going on. The characters had that element that I was expecting and enjoyed the setting of this. It was everything that I was hoping for and am excited to read more from Philippe Besson.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
IN THE ABSENCE OF MEN
While I recover from eye infection and wear my spectacles 🤓 I dove into this absolute treasure of a novel- a short, quick and beautiful telling of young queer love, friendship and loss.

Set in Paris during WW1 Vincent finds himself isolated- he is 16, an aristocrat and far too young to participate in the war. During a reprieve the young song of Vincent’s governess returns home and there connection between Arthur and Vincent is magnetic. They quickly give into their love both physically and emotionally (remember it was a crime then as we see our rights attacked AGAIN during our time- but I digress) and spend the rest of Arthur’s time, meeting in secret at night as their feelings grow stronger. By day- Vincent is mentored by the great author Marcel a closeted and beloved man himself, Marcel warns Vincent of the great trouble he could get into for his young relationship but also encourages him to experience love. Arthur is soon summoned back to the frontlines while Vincent is left behind Empty without his love and with Marcel moving to the countryside. As news breaks about Arthur’s fate, Vincent reconciles his life and his future in the midst of chaos.

Told in three parts: OFFERING, SEPARATION AND LOSS- this novel was short, sweet and had a surprise ending that had me shook. This book is out in June 2025 so put it on your radar! Let’s keep queer stories alive and thriving. 🩵 (if you’ve read young mungo, the boyhood of Cain, open heaven or Selamlik you’ll enjoy this literary novel)

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this novel.

If there is anything to commend this book on it is it's writing. Philippe Besson knows how to write poetry in the form of a novel. The words flow onto the page in a wonderful and terrifying cacophony, They bind the wounds they themselves create from the pinprick words of death, love and war. Besson knows how to write so much but also so little to describe what he is trying to convey. The interesting part of this book as well is that the two side characters harbor a more important role the the protagonist Vincent. They hurry the story along and create the backdrop of everything that is written. Without the two of them there would be no story.

The only big problem that I have with this book that hinders it from a higher review from me is the gap in ages between the lovers of the novel. Vincent being 16 and Arthur 21 creates a uncomfortable situation. A gap of 5 years in not bad but while Vincent being a minor it raises some questions regarding Arthur's character.

Having been a huge fan of Lie with Me, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this book. It started out a bit slow, but I became deeply engrossed in the story by section two. The main character was such a poised, serious young man, and you couldn’t help but be captivated by his love for Arthur. Strong recommendation for this quick read you’ll surely love (like I did)!

heartbreaking in the best ways

the translation was a little rough at the beginning but once i was used to it i really loved the book. ending was absolutely devastating and i love my books like that

4 stars!

This was a lovely, reflective little read, as well as an interesting tribute to Marcel Proust.

The novella follows Vincent, a teenager living in WWI era France, as he navigates a romantic relationship with a young soldier home from war as well as his friendship with famous writer Marcel Proust. I requested this shortly after reading and enjoying Philippe Besson's novella, Lie With Me, and I think In the Absence of Men showcases a lot of the same elements that made that work enjoyable. The writing is beautiful and quite complex but not in a way that feels polarizing to the reader or makes the story difficult to follow. Vincent relationship with Marcel and his relationship with Arthur are clearly different but both have this charged feeling surrounding their taboo nature and the secrets at play. I enjoyed the letters a lot, both because of how emotional they were and because it created a real sense of interconnectedness between the three.

It didn't knock me off my feet, but I appreciate the amount of beauty and tension Besson can fit into such a slim work!

Thank you to Philippe Besson and Scribner for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

In this novella, the author tells the story of three men: Vincent, Arthur, and Marcel (Proust). Set during the Great War, Vincent falls in love with Arthur, the lower-class son of one of Vincent's family's servants. Proust's role is relegated to serving as a mentor to Vincent, who openly discusses his relationship with Arthur with him. While homosexuality is still forbidden, i.e., illegal, Vincent has heard rumors about Proust's male lovers and feels comfortable confiding in him. When Arthur is at war, the story is told through a series of letters among the three men.

This being a war novel, it shouldn't come as a surprise when one of the main characters is killed. But then there's a final twist in the end that brings everything together in a devastating way.

While the book is short, the writing is dense and moves quite slowly. However, the end packs a real punch. It will appeal tor readers looking for a literary war story with queer themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my views.