The Story

The story starts with a man who becomes completely captivated by a portrait of a woman named Hélène. This isn't a simple crush; it's a full-blown obsession. He leaves his old life behind to search for her, convinced their souls are connected across time. His journey pulls him into the shadowy, fashionable world of early 1900s spiritualism—think séances, mediums, and talk of past lives. The plot gets dreamlike and fragmented as he tries to untangle whether Hélène is a real person, a ghost, or a symbol for something else entirely. It's less about clear events and more about capturing a mood of desperate longing.

Why You Should Read It

This book got under my skin. Reading it feels like overhearing a secret conversation from another century. La Jeunesse's writing is lush and intense, full of sentences that swirl around big ideas about art, love, and destiny. The main character's obsession is uncomfortable to watch, but it's fascinating. You're never quite sure if he's a visionary or just deeply lost. It made me think about how we all chase after ideas of people, or perfect love, that might not even be real. It's a short book, but it packs a lot of haunting imagery into its pages.

Final Verdict

This is a niche pick, but a rewarding one. It's perfect for readers who love early modernist literature, like Huysmans or the Decadents, and don't mind a plot that wanders. It's also great for anyone interested in the spiritualist craze of the Edwardian era. A big warning: the title is jarring and unrelated to the story's content, which is a heavy historical burden for any book to carry. Go into it knowing that, and you'll find a strange, poetic, and totally unique novel about the ghosts we create for ourselves.