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Synopsis
"Set in late-nineteenth-century Paris, Downstream is the story of civil servant Jean Folantin, a man beset with melancholy induced by middle-aged loneliness, nihilism, and toiling for a wage that scarcely allows him to subsist. His days are composed of office drudgery; in the evenings he searches in vain for a decent meal. His nights are spent alone." "Whether Downstream is the political tale of a man's enslavement by poverty or, instead, a psychological tale of his reluctance to genuinely invest hope in anything that actually matters, it is J.K. Huysmans in a foul and visionary mood."--BOOK JACKET.
Is À vau l'eau appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This novella depicts profound psychological depression, nihilism, and a protagonist trapped in urban poverty with no hope for improvement. The bleakness and existential despair may be disturbing for younger readers.
What to know going in
This book has no graphic violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
Who'll love this
Mature teens interested in psychological studies of alienation and urban poverty might find this historically significant.