Safe Return Doubtful

translated from the French by Eileen Ellenbogen

I’ll just start off by saying I am a big Simenon fan, more so of his stand-alones and romans- durs than his Maigret novels, though I do enjoy those as well.
I’m trying to get a copy of every English translation and still have a few to find.
This was a digital copy from the internet archive, and somewhat inexplicably only has 42 Goodreads reviews. Many of Simenon’s romans-durs are out of print, some get reissues, but the decision as to which often seems baffling, and not a whole lot to do with quality.

This is typical of the great author, vintage 1953 and a window into domestic relations that aren’t going terribly well, and ends, typically once more, with a rewarding twist.

Fifteen years ago Etienne became the second husband of stationary shop owner Louise, her first husband having conveniently withered away. In his 40s Etienne, who narrates, comes across as insipid, meek, paranoiac and a hypochondriac. Fortunately his doctor lives in an apartment two floors up, and barely a night goes by without a call to him. But Louise monitors his temperature, which is always fine, and cannot find any symptoms other than him not feeling well. Etienne becomes convinced she is out to get him, and each night sifts through his mashed potatoes for any trace of arsenic.

So, typical Simenon, but better than that, with more dark humour than usual. It really is a treat to read. Etienne’s situation may be one we have heard about many times over, but the atmosphere Simenon creates, from the shop and the iron staircase up to the apartment, to that implied eroticism he does so well, make it stand out. It comes down to passion, though an awkward and desperate variety of it that is quite compelling to read about.

It was adapted for a film in France in 2013, L’escalier de Fers, and strikes me that the book also is more in Europe than in the UK; it has had reprints in France and Italy in the last few years.

My GoodReads score 5 / 5