Simenon at his dark and gritty best. Spare prose and classically atmospheric- this story of the boisterous Maugin turns into a journey of self reflection as his mortality comes into view.

Simenon was truly gifted at bringing the most odious characters to life and making them completely compelling.

In Green Shutters, we follow Emile Maugin, a celebrated actor marching toward his later years as he discovers that he may not have much longer to live.

Maugin’s turmoil was captured perfectly, as was his near inability to change his lecherous and self-destructive ways. While the novel admittedly has a slow start, it didn’t take long for Simenon to build an almost claustrophobic atmosphere with a sprinkling of dread thrown in for good measure.

Once the story began to pick up the pace, I was never not on edge, such was Maugin’s almost unpredictable, predictable nature.

Recommended.

With thanks to Penguin for the ARC.

This is the first non-Maigret Simenon I've read . I'm used to a crime, an accumulation of clues and Maigret pulling everything together in a satisfying resolution. Green Shutters is a whole different ballgame. The main character is Maugin, an aging stage and screen actor, admired by many. He's also an alcoholic , a womanizer and a psychologically damaged man. When he receives a dire medical diagnosis, he's faced with his mortality. Through memories of a deprived childhood and his less than admirable adult life he fixates on house with green shutters, symbolizing the normal life he might have had,
Maugin isn't a likeable character but he does elicit sympathy. As in the Maigret series, Simenon skillfully depicts the setting and introduces the reader to some flamboyant characters. The novel was adapted for the screen in 2022.