Comme si de rien n'était

Synopsis of Comme si de rien n'était

«Comme si de rien n'était» is the novel by Marie Cardinal, published by Editions Grasset & Pasquelle in paperback (184 pages, in French).

The novel fragments the narrative into brief scenes, like channel-surfing, to portray the 1990s: everyday lives, cooking recipes, confidences, and characters such as Mimi, Solange and the Ceaușescus. Between loves that end, the fall of a wall and a desecrated cemetery, it weaves individual stories within History.

The novel was originally published in 1990; this French-language paperback edition is from 1992 and includes the complete text.

For readers of contemporary French fiction interested in period portraits built from brief scenes and a fragmentary style.