I'm not sure I completely understand Adèle. In it, the main character Adèle is consumed by an insatiable need for sex with random strangers, so she constantly lies and puts herself in dangerous situations in order to fulfill that desire.
I think my disconnect with this story is that I don't feel the main character's thoughts and actions jive into a cohesive person. On the one hand, Adèle looks down at her husband with disdain; on the other hand, she can't live without him. She can't stand the thought of living in the countryside, but weeps with longing when she isn't there. She is constantly searching for belonging, but looks down her nose at everyone. I just don't buy that this is all the same person.
Despite the book blurb, this isn't really a story about sex and it isn't at all erotic. The sex in here is mechanical, emotionless, and often appalling. If anything, this story seems to be more about someone suffering from crippling anxiety, addiction, and self-harm. I feel the author had a real missed opportunity here to take those and go somewhere interesting and insightful with them. But instead, this story was meandering, windy and tortuous without ever going anywhere.
This is a rather depressing read. It seems its message is that we are all at the mercy of our baser instincts, and nothing we do and no circumstances in our lives can change that. That's a rather pessimistic view of life, and one that I don't share, so this story isn't quite for me.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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