Play Book Tag discussion

Waiting for Bojangles by Olivier Bourdeaut - 3* - My Review

This bizarre book tells the story of a family who lives an unconventional lifestyle. It is told from the perspective of the young son and includes excerpts from a never-published novel written by his father, which provides more background. The mother has an unspecified mental illness that is obvious from her behavior. This book was originally written in French in the form of an extended poem, and the English translation retains much of the rhyming scheme.

The father formerly held a position with the French Government and the mother seems to be living in a world of her own imagining. The father bestows a new name on the mother each day. There is a great deal of alcohol consumption, and each day they dance to the song Mr. Bojangles. They share their home with a crane named Mademoiselle Superfluous.

The parents seem oblivious to the problems the son is experiencing due to the couple’s eccentric lifestyle. He is not doing well in school, and his mother often keeps him home, so he misses many lessons. They seem not to acknowledge the external world and live in an insular environment. As the story progresses, we see the mother’s life going out of control due to her mental issues.

I ended up with mixed feelings. I am unclear as to whether the reader is supposed to feel that the parents are mistreating their son. It certainly seems that way to me, but it is mostly told from the son’s naïve perspective, so he does not feel mistreated. He thinks of their lifestyle as normal, since he has not known any other way of life. I originally believed it was going to be a humorous book, but with the increasingly obvious mental illness, and child neglect, it took on a more serious tone. It is quirky bordering on weird. In the end, I am unsure if I got the point of it all.