Fabre’s unexpectedly touching novel has a laugh of its own behind its low-key, smoothly translated narrative voice … The city it evokes isn’t the Paris of tourists but of local people. -The New York Times
Fabre is a genius of these nuanced, interior moments … The story Fabre tells is that of every one of us: looking for meaning in the mundane, moving through our lives, our interactions, as if through the fabric of a dream … How do we live? it asks to consider. And: What does our existence mean? -Los Angeles Times
Guys Like Me is a short, arresting tale that …not only offers keen insights into the mind of its middle-aged protagonist, but also provides the reader with a unique tour of what everyday life in the low-key suburbs of Paris must truly be like. -Typographical Era
Readers will take pleasure in this well-told tale with a satisfying ending. –Publishers Weekly
The setting may be Paris, but it’s not the Paris of grand avenues and pricey cafes. In fact, Fabre’s hero is a recognizable everyman, from any country. -Library Journal
A smile like a soft flash of light … travels through this moving novel and tells, in words that are muted and profoundly humane, of life as it is. -Le Monde
Fabre speaks to us of luck and misfortune, of the accidents that make a man or defeat him. He talks about our ordinary disappointments and our small moments of calm. Fabre is the discreet megaphone of the man in the crowd. -Elle
In this novel one finds the intimate geography of an author who lays bare the essence of Paris and its outskirts. -La Quinzaine litteraire
Dominique Fabre, born in Paris and a lifelong resident of the city, exposes the shadowy, anonymous lives of many who inhabit the French capital. In this quiet, subdued tale, a middle-aged office worker, divorced and alienated from his only son, meets up with two childhood friends who are similarly adrift, without passions or prospects. He’s looking for a second act to his mournful life, seeking the harbor of love and a true connection with his son. Set in palpably real Paris streets that feel miles away from the City of Light, Guys Like Me is a stirring novel of regret and absence, yet not without a glimmer of hope.
Dominique Fabre, born in 1960, writes about people living on society’s margins. He is a lifelong resident of Paris, France. His previous novel, The Waitress Was New, was also translated into English.
