《偷影子的人》

    This novel by French author Marc Levy tells the touching story of a boy at two periods of his life: first as a 12-year-old arriving at a new school in a new town and later as a young adult* at medical school.

    In the first part, the boy’s father leaves home suddenly. He experiences his first love and his early struggles to find his place in the school.

    In the second part, he falls in love, deals with his mother’s death, and finds his true love.

    The book is a love story. It writes about the love between a mother and son, first love between a boy and girl, and a son’s love for his absent* father.

    The protagonist has a unique* power. He discovers that he can steal the shadows of others and that the shadows will speak with him and reveal the deepest wishes of their owners. With this power, he sets out to make the dreams of his friends come true.

    He helps the school janitor* break free* from his past to pursue* his dreams. He helps his best friend break free from his parents’ expectations and go to medical school. He helps a fellow medical student discover why a young patient is starving* himself to death. He also learns to pursue his own dreams.

    Like many of Levy’s books, the super-natural features in some form. The problem is that we do not really care so much about the characters — they are not very sympathetically* described, and the love story that underlies it is just too improbable and, frankly, just a bit “soppy*.”

    However, the tale is well told, and the reader is pulled along and we want to know what happens.

    (SD-Agencies)