Gilbert Sinoué, Rudy Ricciotti, Émilie Tronche, Pascal Dessaint… The selection of books from “Sud Ouest”

Novel. Will Tadeusz manage to grind the packet of coffee beans his father entrusted to Mr. Stefan, the only neighbor with an old hand-cranked grinder? Or how to tell the story of his childhood neighborhood in Poland and portray the inhabitants of this sinister ten-story building, at a time of communism in its death throes.

Tadeusz wanders this endless corridor, a veritable labyrinth, where the light bulbs don't illuminate much, unless they've been stolen. An opportunity for daydreaming, for laughs, and for freedom. Because it's not easy to exist in this 35-square-meter apartment, where a large family is crammed together. But everything becomes a party when the neighbors arrive with a bottle that loosens tongues.

“The Light Bulb Thieves” by Tomasz Rozycki, translated from Polish by Isabelle Macor , published by Noir sur Blanc , 180 p., €21.50, ebook €15.99.

The Lyautey years in Morocco

Novel. Gilbert Sinoué delivers the final volume of his novel trilogy "Oriental War and Peace," which began with "L'île du couchant," followed by "Le Bec du canard." Thus, from the arrival of Moulay Ismaïl on the throne of Morocco in 1672 to the end of the 1950s, he completes a rich, captivating, and illuminating fresco.

In this opus, he dissects the turbulent history of the French protectorate from the departure of the Sultan in 1912 until independence. Beyond the fate of a country that escaped colonization, it is a nuanced portrait of Lyautey, a fine connoisseur of Arab civilization who wanted the sacred role of the Sultan, the culture, and the people of the country to be respected.

“At Sunset, Hope” by Gilbert Sinoué , published by Gallimard, 336 p., €22, ebook €15.99.

A minute of silence that kills

Investigation. Sophie Loubière investigates a "femicide" committed in 2008 (the term didn't yet exist) when Karine Albert was killed by her former partner. These "crimes of passion" are commonplace and fill the news pages without ever questioning the surprising recurrence of gender in the victims' camp.

But even more surprising, it is this "minute of silence" that gives the book its title. On November 17, 2008, the National Assembly paid tribute to Jean-Marie Demange, a member of parliament from Moselle. He was the one who killed Karine Albert, his ex-mistress, before committing suicide. The compassion of the people's representatives appears as a denial of the crime, and it is this indecent gap that Sophie Loubière questions.

“A Minute of Silence,” by Sophie Loubière, Dark Side, 224 pages, €19.95, ebook €14.99.

Still lifes

Polar. Pascal Dessaint excels once again in bringing to life the singular voices of a choral novel set in Toulouse: Gaspard, the institutional voyeur of video surveillance; Lucas, whose passion for giraffes is inversely proportional to the hatred he feels for his elderly mother; Zélie, who dreams from her balcony of the threatened fate of goldfinches; and finally, the chalk man, census taker of the "weeds" on our sidewalks.

How to learn everything about Buffon and the giraffe's "evolutionary" tricks with the acacia without ever losing the rhythm of a drama as inevitable as rising sea levels on the coast. As Charles Nodier said in 1842: "When you've seen Man from a little closer, you're proud to be a Giraffe."

“The Other Side of the Giraffe,” by Pascal Dessaint, Rivages, 290 pages, €20, ebook €14.99.

Construction sites, magic and battles according to Rudy Ricciotti

Architecture. "The sea, in its blue authority, required us to rise to the occasion." Faced with the combined bite of sun, salt, and wind, Rudy Ricciotti speaks frankly about his "adventurous" projects. The best known is the Mucem in Marseille, organic and rugged. The Camargue architect speaks of the solid material he experienced as a child on his father's construction sites. He loves the anthracite concrete exoskeleton of the Pavillon Noir in Aix-en-Provence, as much as the spectacular glass roof of the Mutualité Française. In "Insoumission," he defends expertise and questions his profession: "It's about giving meaning, sharing the abstract dream of perspective through to its physical realization."

"Insubordination. For the Survival of Architecture," by Rudy Ricciotti, published by Albin Michel, 160 pages, €17.90, ebook €12.99.

Graphic novel. "Samuel" is 21 episodes of a few minutes each in an atypical animated series, black and white, minimalist and fluid, the personal diary of a sensitive 10-year-old boy who doesn't like homework and death, but who loves the sun and the computer. And the great Julie, but he doesn't want anyone to say it.

A marvel of writing and animation, the series has carved out a solid reputation on Arte, propelling its author Émilie Tronche to the forefront. "Samuel's Journal," its graphic novel adaptation, transposes the story onto paper without losing any of its accuracy. A narrative at a child's level, by turns joyful, melancholic, and sad. And one that speaks to both children and adults.

“Samuel’s Journal,” by Émilie Tronche, published by Casterman/Arte, 324 pages, €23, ebook €15.99.

Cyberpunk thriller. Berlin 2099. Welcome to an augmented world where everything is connected, including a killer's heels, but where energy is lacking. To encourage walking, travel becoming an inaccessible luxury, the city rewards residents based on the number of steps taken...

For thirty years, screenwriter Fred Duval has been exploring the realm of possible futures, combining anticipation and thriller, from the founders "Travis" and "Carmen McCallum" to "Neo Forest" and "Renaissance." With "Metropolia," he delivers a credible and intense cyberpunk thriller, in which the city is much more than a simple backdrop. The realistic style of artist Ingo Römling works wonders in unifying this universe of multiple influences. A highly masterful first volume.

“Metropolia”, T1, “Berlin 2099”, by Fred Duval and Ingo Römling, ed. Dargaud, 56 p., €17.50.

Esoteric thriller. What has Antonio gotten himself into? A graphic designer out of his element, haunted by his father's death, this Franco-Italian abandons everything on a whim, driving into the scene, on the road to his childhood. He meets a writer at the hospital, then his scandalous patron, who offer him a fabulous salary to search for traces of the world of darkness in Turin. "One of the three capitals of white magic and one of the three capitals of black magic"...

With "Possessions," Alexis Bacci delivers an esoteric thriller that blends a journey of initiation, romance, dreamlike symbolism, and Tarantino-inspired action scenes. A solid, colorful B-movie, driven by the energetic style of the author of "Dérives."

“Possessions,” by Alexis Bacci, published by Glénat , 408 p., €29, ebook €19.99.

Fantasy. It all begins one October evening when a 14-year-old orphan discovers a secret continent buried in the heart of the city of Bordeaux and sets out in search of his destiny. Born in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Raphaël Rodriguez has been passionate about creative fields since childhood. A musician, drawn to cinema, he quickly turned to writing.

In this saga, now in its fourth volume, his very particular imagination gives a political twist to the magical universe into which he plunges his reader: there too oppression reigns, revolutionaries want to change the world and people are even beginning to talk about a republic!