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    Underground Time
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    Underground Time
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    Underground Time
    Ebook213 pages3 hours

    Underground Time

    By Delphine de Vigan

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook


    _______________

    SHORTLISTED FOR THE GONCOURT PRIZE

    Translated from the French by George Miller
    _______________

    'One of those books that grabs you and demands to be read' - Clare Morrall

    'Delphine de Vigan is a sensation' - Observer

    'Sympathetic, compelling, enjoyable' - Guardian
    _______________

    Every day Mathilde takes the Metro, then the commuter train to the office of a large multi-national where she works in the marketing department. Every day, the same routine, the same trains. But something happened a while ago - she dared to voice a different opinion from her moody boss, Jacques. Bit by bit she finds herself frozen out of everything, with no work to do.

    Thibault is a paramedic. Every day he drives to the addresses he receives from his controller. The city spares him no grief: traffic jams, elusive parking spaces, delivery trucks blocking his route. He is well aware that he may be the only human being many of the people he visits will see for the entire day and is well acquainted with the symptomatic illnesses, the major disasters, the hustle and bustle and, of course, the immense, pervading loneliness of the city.

    Before one day in May, Mathilde and Thibault had never met. They were just two anonymous figures in a crowd, pushed and shoved and pressured continuously by the loveless, urban world.

    Underground Time is a novel of quiet violence - the violence of office-bullying, the violence of the brutality of the city - in which our two characters move towards an inevitable meeting.
    _______________


    'Two solitary existences cross paths in this poignant chronicle, a new testimony to de Vigan's superb eloquence' - Lire

    'What's most startling about this novel is how de Vigan makes the mundane come alive. She's an expert in detail, charging even the most ordinary situation with emotion, which makes for a massively affecting read' - Psychologies Magazine
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateApr 4, 2011
    ISBN9781408824177
    Unavailable
    Underground Time
    Author

    Delphine de Vigan

    Delphine de Vigan (Boulogne-Billancourt, 1966) vive en París. En Anagrama ha publicado, desde 2012: Días sin hambre: «Maneja la materia autobiográfica con una contención que remite a Marguerite Duras» (Marta Sanz); No y yo: «Maestría y ternura... Una novela atípica» (Juanjo M. Jambrina, Jot Down); Las horas subterráneas: «Sensible, inquietante y un poco triste. Triste y soberbia» (François Busnel, L’Express); Nada se opone a la noche, que la consagró internacionalmente, ha vendido en Francia más de ochocientos mil ejemplares, ha sido publicada por una veintena de editoriales extranjeras y ha recibido el Premio de Novela Fnac, el Premio de Novela de las Televisiones Francesas, el Premio Renaudot de los Institutos de Francia, el Gran Premio de la Heroína Madame Figaro y el Gran Premio de las Lectoras de Elle: «Este magnífico testimonio la confirma como una escritora contemporánea de referencia. Imprescindible» (Sònia Hernández, La Vanguardia); «Con sobriedad y precisión, sin sentimentalismo (pero no sin sentimiento), Delphine de Vigan firma una inteligente, magnífica e implacable novela» (Elvira Navarro); Basada en hechos reales, galardonada con el Premio Renaudot y el Goncourt de los Estudiantes, y llevada al cine por Roman Polanski: «Hace alarde de maestría expresiva para disolver los límites de lo que es verdad y lo que es mentira... Apasiona» (Robert Saladrigas, La Vanguardia); Las lealtades: «Perturbadora» (Javier Aparicio Maydeu, El País); «Cuestiona a una sociedad que mira hacia otro lado, ante las violencias soterradas» (Lourdes Ventura, El Mundo); y Las gratitudes: «Pequeño prodigio con el que la autora francesa reflexiona sobre la vejez, la soledad y la importancia de las palabras» (David Morán, ABC).

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    Reviews for Underground Time

    3.5/5

    108 ratings22 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Two separate stories run through this novel - one a highly original and gripping account of a hard-working single mother who finds herself frozen out at work by a vengeful boss , the other a rather nebulous tale about a mobile doctor who has just split up with his girlfriend and is feeling sad about it. Of the two, I much preferred the first, which was quite staggering in its portrayal of office politics at their very worst. The second left me entirely cold. The author includes a lot of musing about working relationships and loneliness, and what they say about the world at large - most of which sailed over my head I'm afraid - and I suppose there was an expectation that the two stories would intersect by the end of the novel, but really all I remember having finished was the outrage I felt on Mathilde's behalf at the atrocious behaviour of her boss, and on that level the novel was entirely successful.
    • 3/5
      This was a light read, in spite of treating issues of lonliness and isolation. The writer gives us two parallel stories: Mathilde, who is being bullied and harrassed at her job, and Thibault, who has just broken up with a woman he loves because she doesn't love him. As we follow them through a single day, we see they have similar thoughts and perspectives. We can't help but think they would be perfect for each other! SPOILER ALERT!!Mathilde and Thibault don't meet, and that is certainly the more realistic scenario in modern life in a crowded city. But, it was not a satisfactory ending. Although probably a better one, as a meeting would have relegated this book to "chick lit" status. I think the author didn't find the right balance between her writing style and her plot. To be fair, something may have been lost in translation. So, overall, this book was okay, but not as good (or bad) as it could have been.
    • 4/5
      Underground Time is a strong narrative about isolation. The two main characters are sympathetic and interesting, both with their unique struggles, and the novel reads quickly. Recommended
    • 5/5
      Of course, I wanted a different ending, but that would have been too easy and false. I thought it was a wonderfully written story and I enjoyed it throughout. I did leave with a bit of hope that on next underground ride they would meet. (I'm a romantic.)
    • 4/5
      Underground Time is about two isolated character, Mathilde and Thibault. Both live in Paris, and while they do not know each other, their thoughts and feelings are often the same. Mathilde is struggling with a boss who is trying to bully her out of her job; Thibault is a home-visit doctor whose patients often just want company. He spends his days in traffic jams; she on the Paris public transportation system. The reader feels that they would be perfect for each other, if only they could meet. Unfortunately, they are merely two people in a very busy city, and as Mathilde notes, random pairs of strangers connect only in romance movies.de Vigan's prose is easy to read and the translation is quite good, without the clunky phasing that often occurs. Underground Time was a good afternoon's read.
    • 3/5
      All through this riveting read, I did not have a picture in mind of what either Thibault or Mathilde looked like which is somewhat unusual for me but didn't realize it until the very end. It was difficult to put down only because I had hope that both characters would find their individual happiness, and perhaps find it together. I found it interesting how we only learned the reason why Mathilde was a single mother well into the book. I had a lot of difficulty with the translation which for me detracted from the story but overall am glad to have read it as I had not ever heard of this author prior to receiving this book. Highly recommended for book groups! It would make for an interesting discussion.
    • 4/5
      Every day, Mathilde takes the metro to her job at an multinational company, where she has felt isolated and miserable ever since she got on the wrong side of her bullying boss. Every day, Thibault, a paramedic, drives where his dispatcher directs him, fighting traffic to attend to common disasters.It took awhile for me to get around to reading this one.... I was never really in the mood for what I thought would be a crossed paths/romance type of story. When I did get around to reading it, I actually found this to be a fascinating psychological examination of two individuals careening towards the breaking point of what they can take, what they will tolerate, on their own while surrounded by people. The story alternates narration by Mathilde and Thibault as they pick their way through their parallel day - the 20th of May - in the bustling, teeming city of Paris, France. They each have a different reason/path that has brought them to this point and I found it more difficult to empathize with Thibault until closer to the end of the story. de Vigan takes the reader into the psyche of the victim of workplace bullying, empty relationships and overall work fatigue. The workplace bullying is a chilling, emotional experience to read. The darkness of the story can be conveyed by the following quote: Now, she wonders if Laetitia hasn't been right all along. If business isn't the ultimate testing ground for morality. If business isn't by definition a place of destruction. If business with its rituals, its hierarchy, its ways of functioning, is not quite simply the sovereign place of violence and impunity.As you can see, this is not a light-hearted story. I am sure it will not reach all audiences with the same reception I have given it. The story was a thought-provoking read for me, although I do wish I wasn't left at the end feeling that something was missing to make it an overall more satisfying experience. I felt somethings were handled a little choppily, which could in part be due to the translation. Also, while I could feel what the characters were experiencing, I never really got the know the characters as much as I would have liked to. Overall, a worthwhile reading experience that has left me with food for thought and a desire to read more of de Vigan's works.This book was provided to me as part of Librarything's Early Reviewer program.
    • 4/5
      Mathilde and Thibault both live in Paris, unknown to each other, each living their own lives dealing with their own limitations and struggles. The book is written in alternating voice, with well developed characters and situations, easily drawing the reader into the lives of the protagonists. The book is exceptionally well written, and the pace seems to pick up as their independent paths draw together. Usually a book that is described as something you can't put down is because of some kind of drama or excitement. I found I couldn't put this one down because it was so well written, and the reader simply becomes invested in the characters (in my case one, more than the other) and you simply need to see what happens.The only thing keeping the book from a higher rating (although 4 stars is pretty good) is the end, where what you discover what you've been reading for. I was caught off guard, not necessarily in a good way, but in hindsight, the writing ability of the author carries it all. Recommended
    • 4/5
      Realistic novels about the modern-day workplace, which can be lonely and unfulfilling, are rare. Underground Time really captures the life of two unsatisfied, middle-aged characters. I kept reading to find out what would happen to them.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this novel of two alternating protagonists. Mathilde is a businesswoman and a mother and Thibault is a paramedic grieving a lost relationship. Both characters are middle-aged and are struggling with loneliness and going through an existential crisis. I found their pain to be believable and well-told. I had hoped for more of a connection between the characters, but I still enjoyed the story overall.
    • 4/5
      Delphine de Vigan's Underground Time has two main characters with parallel stories. There's Mathilde, a forty year old single mother who works for a multinational company, and forty-three year old Thibault, a paramedic who has suffered a painful break-up with his girlfriend. De Vigan clearly puts most of her energy into telling Mathilde's story. She uses Thibault as a means for the reader to have a brief respite from Mathilde's problems, which are spiraling out of control. Both characters are lonely and tired, barely making it through their days. Thibault's worries pale beside Mathilde's, and he got very little sympathy from me. I think this is the novel's weakest point. Mahilde, on the other hand, kept me completely engaged. Her days as a confident business woman begin to unravel the day she disagrees with the opinion of her boss during a business meeting. Although she gets a nagging feeling that things are not quite right, it takes awhile for her to understand that her life will change completely from that moment on. Her boss slowly takes away her work, her co-workers, her office, her friends, her confidence, even her sleep, until nothing is left. Her desperation is apparent near the end of the novel when she sits in her new windowless office and telephones a travel agency with computerized responses and feels that it is a friendly phone conversation. Underground Time has the existentialist quality found in the Theater of the Absurd. It is a well-written and compelling read.
    • 4/5
      I kept putting off reading it because of some of the reviews below, but I shouldn't have: Underground Time is an extraordinarily well-written treatise on the loneliness one feels even when surrounded by people. The language is sparse but beautifully rendered. The city is real and the desperation of the characters is palpable.Of the two protagonists, Mathilde's story is stronger than Thibault's. The stories don't parallel as closely as I think they were intentioned to and often Thibault comes off as nothing more than clingy and whining to Mathilde's quiet desperation. But without Thibault, I think the novel would falter. It's a quick read as it is, but a very worthwhile one.The ending is the ending that has to be. I know some people have taken issue with it, but how often do you have a day when all you need is that one bit of human connection. On days like that, connection never arrives. I don't see how the book could be any different.
    • 3/5
      Underground Time deftly captures the desperate, lonely and isolated lives that occurs all too often in today's busy world.Almost from the first page you want to hasten to the end for a quick and easy resolution to the lives of the two main characters.Although a fairy tale ending is not realistic, the unexpected ending does not offer the same depth of emotion that first draws you into the story. It seemed as though the last chapter of the novel was missing. )
    • 4/5
      Underground Time is a study of a woman, Mathilde and a man, Thibault, who skim through a single day in parallel stories. Isolation is a running theme in their lives Mathilde is isolated at work as she suffers from an unjust environment. Her storyline appears more conflicted ecause of her interactions with coworkers and the malicious actions of her boss, which at times suspend belief. Thibault, as a paramedic, interacts with people in a temporary way and his recent breakup lacks emotion, sdding to his despair. But his contemplations through the day are just as powerful as Matilde's It shows how solitude can exist in a world full of people These two characters come close to each other but never connect physically. Yet, their stories mirror during the day, One hopes for redemption for both of them. The way de Vigan draws us into Matilde and Thibault's lives is commendable I wish it could have ended better for them, but I am glad it is not presented in a tidy package. It allows me to reflect on their stories well after I finish reading.
    • 4/5
      The characters in this novel are Mathilde and Thibault who, despite being Parisians, bring to mind the words of an American poet about people leading "lives of quiet desperation" (Thoreau in "Walden") and the lyrics of a British band about "all the lonely people" (The Beatles in "Eleanor Rigby"). These two forty-year-olds are used to convey the author's theme about the loneliness of contemporary urban life which Thibault recognizes: "He knows their lonelinesss. Now he knows how brutal the city is and the high price it exacts from those who expect to survive there" (242).Mathilde is a widowed mother of three, a successful career woman, who, because she voices an opinion contrary to that of her narcissistic, tempermental boss, finds herself systematically harassed at work as he vengefully wages psychological warfare against her. Gradually her workplace environment becomes untenable as she is rendered powerless and "There's nothing left of the self-possessed, confident woman she used to be" (186).Thibault, in the parallel narrative, is a physician who breaks up with a woman with whom he has been in an emotionally unsatisfying relationship. In the course of his day, he has depressing encounters with people locked into lives of disease, disappointment, and loneliness. "He's a doctor in the city: that sums up his life. . . . He will soon have been a doctor for fifteen years and nothing else has happened to him. Nothing significant" (181). The two protagonists, whose day is described in alternating chapters, share similar lives. Both survived tragedies in their early adulthood. When the paths of the two do cross, Thibault makes an observation: "It seemed to him that he and this woman had lots of things in common" (256 - 257). In particular, their sense of themselves has been eroded: "It seemed to him that he and this woman shared the same kind of exhaustion, a dispossession of the self which cast the body towards the ground" (256). At times the reader's credulity is stretched in the author's attempts to emphasize their similarities. For example, in an upbeat moment, "[Mathilde] thought she'd buy a flat-screen for their DVD evenings . . . she'd invite her friends for dinner. . . . Maybe they'd push back the furniture and dance in her little living room. Like they used to" (203). At his more optimistic Thibault plans to "buy himself a flat-screen for his DVD evenings. And then he'll invite his university friends . . . . He'll organize a little get-together at home. He'll buy things to eat and drink. And maybe they'll push the furniture aside and dance in the living room. Like they used to" (207).The author uses transportation to comment on modern city life. Mathilde uses public transit, the Metro, but she is nonetheless isolated: "here every day several thousand people's paths criss-cross . . . . Bodies brush against one another, or avoid contact or sometimes collide in a strange sort of choreography" (65). There is no real connection because "Even when it's busy, there remains on public transport . . . a sense of reserve" (55).In his private vehicle that Thibault uses to travel between appointments, he is likewise isolated. He often finds himself observing pedestrians: " So many people he cannot count, all subject to the city's flow, its speed; unaware they're being watched, seen from a distance, at street corners, an infinite number of fragile identities which he cannot grasp as a whole" (62). He is often trapped in traffic: "It's jammed, blocked, paralysed. In front, behind, everywhere" (250). Of course, this describes Thibault's life - and Mathilde's as well.The third character in the novel is the city, a "place of endless intersections where people never meet" (129). The city is definitely one of the antagonists. "[Thibault's] body is under pressure, ready to implode. The city is suffocating, pressing down on him. He is tired of its randomness, its shamelessness, its fake intimacies. He is tired of its feigned moods and the illusion that men and women ever really connect. The city is a deafening lie" (153). The last paragraph in the novel is one final description of the city: "the city would always impose its own rhythms, its haste, its rush hours, . . . it would always remain unaware of these millions of solitary journeys at whose points of intersection there is nothing. Nothing but a void, or else a spark that instantly goes out" (257).The language of the book is very lyrical: "he had known for a long time that the singular trumps the plural and how fragile conjunctions are" (81). At times the description is reminiscent of T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock": "[Thibault's] life is in his crappy Renault Clio, with its empty plastic bottles and crumpled Bounty wrappers on the floor. His life is in this incessant toing and froing, these exhausted days, these stairways, these lifts, these doors which close behind him. His life is at the heart of the city. And the city, with its noise, its poverty, displays its dustbins and its wealth, and ceaselessly increases its speed" (81). There are even more direct allusions to Eliot: " His body is a wasteland" (153).The book is not perfect. Mathilde's story is more compelling than Thibault's, and sometimes the monotony of their day makes for tedious reading (albeit appropriately so). Nonetheless I would recommend it to anyone interested in reading interpretive literature with thoroughly developed themes. On the other hand, anyone looking for an uplifting read with a fairy tale ending should avoid this book.
    • 4/5
      A lucid translation of a story about people's isolation and desperation - but one which is not without hope. Set in Paris, the two central characters - Mathilde and Thibault - live parallel lives unbeknownst to one another. Mathilde's working life has been made unbearable by a bullying boss, and Thibault harbours doubts over whether his work as a paramedic has any real impact. There is a strong suggestion that they might be able to reedem one another if given the chance; if this book were made into an American film, they undoubtedly would, but because it's a French novel, they pass each other instead, like proverbial ships in the night. But in doing so, we're reminded that we are never alone in our loneliness.
    • 3/5
      What a depressing book! I don't think it really needed to be quite so bleak. I wonder if the author wrote during a particularly low point in her life when she needed to just wallow in it.The book traces the lives of two separate characters, Matilde and Thibault. They each get their own chapters, but Matilde gets more of them. Her situation is certainly more desperate and bleak than Thibault's. So perhaps dedicating more space to Thibault would not make the story so compelling.I found it hard to believe that a person who was formerly so self-confident could put up with all the abuse she is suddenly subjected to by her supervisor. She puts up with it for nine months! It made me think of a term of pregnancy, and I kept thinking, "OK, it's time for her to give birth to a new life."I gave this book three stars because it is well written (and well translated), but I don't appreciate this kind of nihilistic literature. Everyone has the power to transcend their circumstances in some way, and it would be much better to give readers hope than to leave them in wretchedness just because the author wants to make some kind of misguided statement. Apparently the author wants to share her poison with others and try to make us all miserable. Well I hope she gets over it, but I'm not going with her.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed the everyday life aspect of this book. The author developed the two main characters, Mathilde and Thibault, very well, and I liked both of them. My only problem was that the book mainly focused on how life is such a misery and it left me somewhat disappointed at the end. I think I was hoping for some kind of fairy tale ending which doesn't really fit with the true life aspect of this story. Overall, it was an engaging and well-written book.
    • 1/5
      I think I have rarely read a book that was so depressing and unsatisfying. Mathilde is a battered woman, although the abuse is in the workplace instead of at home. Her boss and mentor turns on her with incredible vengeance. Her initial reaction," this must be a misunderstanding, I'll try to talk to him", was understandable. But after he figuratively smashes her in the mouth each day for months, that gets a little hard to believe. Her behavior is really inexplicable. There is nothing in her background to indicate an insecure woman, an easy target of abuse. On the contrary, she was a very confident, competent career woman. Her story is paralleled with that of Thibault, a doctor who has just ended an unhealthy love affair and is suffering regret and loneliness. The reader expects their paths to cross with some kind of significant result. In fact, their paths cross so slightly that one wonders why the author even bothered with the second plot line. I gave this one star.
    • 3/5
      The systematic abuse Justine suffered by her boss left me speechless. The description of the circuitous route she took to get to work each day exhausted me. I wasn't quite so empathetic with the traveling physician who wasn't able to deal with unrequited love. I did expect that the two characters would meet up before the book ended. I was very disappointed that Justine's boss never paid for his horrendous treatment of her.
    • 4/5
      Every day Mathilde takes the metro to her job at a multinational coompany, where she has felt isolated and miserable ever since she got on the wrong side of her bullying boss. Every day Thibault, a paramedic, drives where his dispatcher directs him,fighting traffic to attend to common disasters. For many of the patients he rushes to treat, he provides the only company they’ll have that day.Mathilde and Thibault are just two figures being shuffled through a lonesome city, unaware of one another as they travel their separate paths. Summary from back cover.Today is the day. Mathilde has spent 150 euros on a fortune teller who revealed that on the 20th of May, her life would change. Mathilde believes it, not in hope but in despair: she has reached the end of what she can bear. Through flashbacks throughout her day, we see why Mathilde’s boss has turned against her and to what deceitful lengths his malice towards her will drive him.In alternate chapters, Thibault pings back and forth about the Parisian suburbs, responding to calls. It is May 20th for him too and although he hasn’t resorted to palm reading, he is finally making the decision to break off the relationship with his aloof lover, Lila. “Every four days in Paris,” Mathilde tells the reader, “a man or woman jumps in front of a train.” She admits that for some months she has found herself unconcsciously leaning towards the tracks. Thibault admits to himself that as much as he professes to love Paris, he can no longer bear the sad lives of his patients, Paris’ clogged and angry traffic, the parking tickets he gets while on a call, and most importantly, the unbearable loneliness of a life that compels him to continue a loveless relationship.The back cover of the book asks: What if these two could save each other?On this 20th of May, Paris appears, through the symbols of the metro and traffic, as a place of constant motion, inexorable, unstoppable, grim. In order to keep going, the citizens of Paris thrust past everyone and everything that might mean a delay. How is it possible for Mathile and Thibault to pause to meet, let alone save each other? Many reviewers have responded to the vivid portrayal of bullying that almost dominates the novel. Silent treatment and shunning are devastating tactics, impossible to fight. Mathilde’s helplessness steers her towards the hope that chance—this special day—will somehow save her. I feel that the bullying caused an imbalance in the story. Thibault’s life suffers by comparison.Placing the entire book within the confines of one day compresses the time, actions and emotions of our two Parisians and makes for intense reading. I felt as though I were underground with Mathilde as she commuted to work that no longer had use for her, stunned as she was by the theft of her self-confidence and the ruin of her reputation.The characters are real people, Paris is a real city with real problems. They are problems we all share. Far from bustling past her fellow commuters in life, Ms de Vigan freezes time to chronicle in elegant yet spare lines the difficulties of two lives.Challenging, not a good choice when you’re looking to be cheered up, Underground Time redirects the reader back to the human (humane) scale of life.This book was provided to me as an early reviewer copy.8 out of 10. Ideal for serious book clubs and for readers who like to think.
    • 3/5
      This novel was riveting from start to finish, with slowly building anticipation throughout, but unfortunately little payoff. The novel is told in the third person from the perspective of two different characters: Mathilde, who is horribly abused by her boss, and Thibault, a traumatized and lovelorn paramedic. Both go through the motions each day and the reader is tantalized by close encounters throughout the novel as they nearly meet. Each is lost in the rush of a big city, but Mathilde’s story is the more compelling while Thibault’s character seems somewhat incidental. It is a difficult novel to put down, as one wonders how the torturous situation with Mathilde’s boss will finally resolve, and whether the two lonely characters will ever meet. The writing is taut, suspenseful and compelling. It is difficult to say more about what bothered me about the novel, without spoiling it, but the story just seemed to fizzle out. I think the author had a deeper message in the direction the story took, but ultimately I felt somewhat cheated. So I have mixed feelings about the novel; I think it’s definitely a worthwhile read, but less than fulfilling.