Inhuman Resources – Pierre Lemaitre
Page Count 400
Publication date: Sept 2018/ Publisher Quercus Books. MacLehose Press
Synopsis:
Alain Delambre is a 57-year-old former HR executive, drained by four years of hopeless unemployment.
All he is offered are small, demoralizing jobs. He has reached his very lowest ebb, and can see no way out.
So when a major company finally invites him to an interview, Alain Delambre is ready to do anything, borrow money, shame his wife and his daughters and even participate in the ultimate recruitment test: a role-playing game that involves hostage-taking.
Alain Delambre commits body and soul in this struggle to regain his dignity.
But if he suddenly realised that the dice had been loaded against him from the start, his fury would be limitless.
And what began as a role-play game could quickly become a bloodbath.
*****
I received an eARC of Inhuman Resources via Netgalley a while ago, I requested this title based on my enjoyment of Lemaitre’s detective series – Alex/Irene/Camille. I diligently made notes throughout reading and was sure to be posting my review on time to schedule.
I didn’t.
Even now, months later, I can’t bring myself to properly discuss what I consider to be an absolute train wreck of a novel. Instead I will leave you with my bullet points, make of them what you will!
Writing:
First 30% hopeless, dingy atmosphere
Way written made me feel pity (not sympathy) with the characters plight.
The plot veers extremely far from the blurb which accounts for only the first half of book.
Very hard to keep track of all the employees during hostage event, the names were similar and some characters felt pointless.
It was noticeable the author hadn’t done enough research on financial market or lawsuits to carry parts of the story convincingly, a stark comparison to the level of insight into hostage scenarios. However the story is told from Delambre’s perspective and so it could be argued that the character wouldn’t have that knowledge.
Characters:
Disgraceful behaviour as a husband and father.
Has casual and bizarre sexual thoughts about his daughters and their appearance.
Felt no love between the main character and his family, they seemed like his possessions.
Wife was too idealistic in her views
Perhaps it was my own values that made the main character so unlikable, even in desperation I’d like to think I wouldn’t be capable of the decisions Delambre made.
Charles is my favourite character in the book- he almost brings out the human in Delambre. Their journey of friendship was a wonderful light in an otherwise dark and desperate story.
Fontana made a fantastic foe, descriptive body language, I could picture him perfectly in my mind.
The chess game unfolding between Delambre and Fontana kept me reading.
Story:
Delambre plans were outrageous, unbelievable but clever, twisted and turned over the last half of the book.
Constant peril took away the edge of suspense, became a background hum which slowed the pacing considerably.
Previous experience of Lemaitre was fast paced and tense, got a glimpse of this towards the end of Inhuman Resources but far more ostentatious and therefore less enveloping.
The ending was deflated and empty- an all for nothing kind of deal.
Inhuman Resources forces you to consider the lengths you’d go to for money, what really makes you happy.
Conclusion:
That friends, is all I have to say about that! I was sorely disappointed and I’m left unsure as to whether I will pick up any future releases by this author.
But don’t let this hodge-podge review put you off Lemaitre entirely, I can vouch for his Detective Camille series!
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