This has been floating around my very long of list of things I thought I might like to get around to one day, and when I found it for 50 cents at a flea market in Uccle I thought I might as well. I was not disappointed, though neither was I knocked flat. I found it very interesting. I should probably read it in English at some point to get more of it - my French is rusty, and there were some words and expressions that I didn't know.

"L'enfer, c'est les autres" - all right then.

As I started the book, I had a strong sense of deja vu around the setting, "un salon style Second Empire", not particularly to the taste of the male protagonist, Garcin. I felt like a book I had just read had a room decorated in the style of the Second Empire to a main character's dismay ... maybe The Trial? I don't have my books with me and I am just not sure. If this ever rings a bell to anyone, I'd love to hear if there's some real cross-reference here, or if I am just imagining it.

Anyway, good stuff.