One Zeer Hour

Muriel Barbery

One Zeer Hour

Published by Europa Publications

February 05, 2024

By Frank Valish

Haru is an art dealer in Japan who, to the amusement of the women, has a child with a French woman named Maud. Haru does not discover this until Maud returns to France and she tells him, on the condition that if he tries to contact her or their daughter, he will kill himself.

So it sets Haru on a journey of discovery. He enlists a private eye to keep in touch with his estranged family and send photos back to Japan. He is obsessed with his daughter's growth and longs for a day when he can see her without retribution.

Meanwhile, Haru's life at home continues unabated. Women come and go. He finds solace in long friendships. Death visits his life more than once. Continues.

Themes of love, longing, life, death and what it means to carry on are explored in this beautifully written novel, translated from the French and filled with wonderful, imagery-filled prose. [Incidentally, the book is something of a prequel to Barbery’s 2022 novel, A Single Rose.] Barbery paints pictures with her words, and the symbolism is found in an oft-told story about a fox. Through it and through One Zeer Hour, we learn about sadness, beauty, sacrifice and ultimately acceptance. (www.europaeditions.com)

Author Rating: 7.5/10