You Don't Love Yourself

You Don't Love Yourself is a mature work by Nathalie Sarraute, a unique writer who has perceptively explored the universal drama of the inner self since her first book, Tropisms. If there is a conversation in a novel by Nathalie Sarraute, it is more than likely a dialog between two conflicting points of view, voiced by unnamed disembodied advocates for the unnamed conflicted feelings. So, before you open one of her books, give up a few preconceived notions. There may be the loosest elements of a plot, but it's more likely that you'll be told only what you need to know about the matter at hand. Instead, you'll be privy to the always turbulent action of the human mind as it weighs its options and decides how to feel. Nathalie Sarraute composes a musical arrangement of pleading, sarcastic, ironic, humble and childlike voices (to name a few) that seem to float in and out of an echo chamber of consciousness. The conversations, which are full of suggestive fragments and hesitations, don't offer the standard satisfactions of novels built on plot and the description of characters. You Don't Love Yourself probes much deeper into the nature of character by providing a virtual reality ride through the range of human reactions and fears. The novel and its title refer to the facade of perfection and self-esteem that some people wear and others perceive, consciously or unconsciously in both cases, in the social sphere. An overly simple explanation of the book would say that it explores insecurity. But, with a style that horror novelists might want to study, Nathalie Sarraute's latest novel offers insecurity to her readers like a hidden contagion in the pages of the book. Give in to its utter truth and humor, if you dare