Vertigo by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac

Whispers of the Story

In 1940, Roger Flavières, a lawyer from Paris, is approached by his longtime friend Gevigne for a favour. Gevigne’s wife, Madeleine, started to act strange. Acting like she is possessed by her great-grandmother, she takes Roger on a roller coaster of events and emotions, until he falls in love with her. Determined to protect her from herself he follows her around, but he fails.

Guilt and sorrow makes Flavières leave as soon as possible to the south of France. Returning after the liberation of Paris, he finds out that his friend was killed by a German bomb while trying to run from the police. Time did not diminish his love for  Madeline but turned into an obsession. So when Flavières sees a woman who is identical to Madeleine, he tries to turn her into his dead lover. In a twist of fate, Flavières finds out his past five years were just a really good lie, and he’s become exactly what his friend intended: Madeleine’s murderer.

Review of Vertigo by Pieree Boileau and Thomas Narcejac

I must admit this book was not exactly what I expected from the first pages. I can’t place it in just one category. It has elements of romance, lust, drama, mystery, and murder with a psychological twist; everything is designed to play with the main character’s mind until he cannot see reason. The beauty of the book, the characters, the plot, and the implications of each and every detail can only be appreciated in the final thirty pages, where it all makes sense. The book changes as the plot develops; at first, you might think it’s about a ghost haunting; in the middle, you might realize it’s about obsession; and at the end, it’s a book that fits best into the mystery/crime genre. 

Flavières was just a naive man who wanted to do something good for his friend. I find it amazing how soon he develops feelings for a woman he could not have. He became invested too much and too soon. Her suicide made him obsessed with her. I felt sorry for him because that brief friendship had turned his life upside down. If he hadn’t seen Renée, he might have spent the rest of his life obsessed with Madeleine and her brief life. 

I thought Flavières had gone insane when he saw a woman who resembled Madeleine. Especially when he started dating her and  paying for new clothes and hair to make her look like Madeleine. To be honest, I expected to learn that she did not resemble his deceased lover, but that it was all in his head. I felt sorry for the poor woman who had accepted such treatment. Then I remembered that she worked in the company of wealthy men, so she was probably accustomed to toxic behavior from them. That’s why she did not leave him, no matter how much she claimed to love him. But when she revealed that she actually played the role of Madeline and was indeed the woman he fell in love, it came as a surprise. For me, that was the moment the book became interesting. Gevigne’s strategy was clever and intriguing. The only thing he didn’t expect was Flavières to fall in love with his wife. That was the end of his strategy. 

In the end, Renée played her part too well in Gevigne’s scheme. I feel sorry for  Flavières because he killed a woman who toyed with his mind, made him become obsessed, nearly ruined his life, and  he will be punished for it. One small plan to murder a wealthy woman and steal her money ended the lives of everyone involved, whether they wanted to or not. Although I found the book boring at first, it all made sense in the last 30 pages and made the book interesting to me.    

There is also a movie, Vertigo, from 1958 directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. It follows the same idea, but the events take place in the USA, in different times, the characters have different backstories and the events are slightly different. So, if you want to relax watching a classic, go watch it.

Happy reading!