Book Review: DISTURBANCE: SURVIVING CHARLIE HEBDO (Le Lambeau) by Philippe Lançon

Disturbance: Surviving Charlie Hebdo by Philippe Lançon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"We had sensed the rise of this narrow-minded rage that transformed social struggle into a spirit of bigotry. Hatred was an intoxication."

I picked up this book with the full weight of preconceived expectations. This multiple award winning memoir of a journalist who survived the 2015 Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack took a month to arrive to Manila, and in that time, an act of violent fanaticism similar to the brand that hit author Philippe Lançon took place nearby. A doctor shot and killed a former mayor at her daughter's graduation. (Just typing that last sentence is unbelievably surreal, but such are the times we live in.)

"Political choices are often the result of character," Lançon wrote. But character is partially shaped by media, and by government who wields the power to shape reality. When thousands of people advocate for the murderer or the terrorist (as was the case with Charlie Hebdo and the Furigay assassination), we are confronted with the horrific truth: Civility is less common than we thought.

In light of politically/religiously motivated killings, JE SUIS CHARLIE becomes more than a battle cry for press freedom. It is also a furious call for Civilization in a time of barbarity, when we live in "a society where the sleep of reason engenders monsters."

"We never control the development of the illnesses we diagnose, provoke or maintain." Lançon knew that if he were not careful, his account could be politicized. Having spent nine months in hospital, unable to drink, eat, nor speak because of the terrible gunshots that destroyed his lower face completely, the wordsmith now regretted contributing to all the noise. And so he set out to write an account more medical than political, more meditation than propaganda, laying bare his most intimate bodily functions and embarrassments, sparing nothing from his attempt to paint as complete a picture of his recovery as possible. Not for squeamish readers!

Being an atheist ("As monks believe in God, I believe in doctors"), the author sought transcendence in art and literature instead of prayer. He listened to Bach's fugues during operations and nurse visits ("The more complex it became, the more it simplified me."), read Kafka, Proust and THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN in between doctors, and got permission (quite often!!) to visit the theater or the museum while accompanied by policemen, then returning to the hospital exhausted. And boy oh boy, did he give A COMPLETE ACCOUNT. Lists of recordings and preferred artists, specific paintings by favorite painters, and excerpts from poems he and his friends sent back and forth. It was as if, traumatized by the encounter with Barbarity that blew open his face and his life, Lançon reacted by marshalling all the artistic resources his great civilization and his privileged background afforded him. For every crisis, a sonnet. For every setback, a sonata.

I must confess, having recently spent a prolonged stay at the hospital with a family member myself, I was irritated when Lançon expressed disbelief at the hospital's urging him to leave already. "What do you expect?! You're already well enough to go for long walks in gardens and visit art galleries and see plays!!!" I grumpily told the red book I held, envious at the privilege afforded him that is impossible for most hospitalized patients in my country. It was with a bit of jealousy that I read his descriptions of the beautiful settings for his convalescence: 400 year old hospitals like La Pitié-Salpêtrière and Les Invalides.

I was wrong to expect so much from DISTURBANCE (Le Lambeau in the original French). Lançon wrote something that will interest medical students and patients experiencing prolonged hospital care, but in terms of ideology, there is very little inside. And for a book around 500 pages long, I think it could have been shortened by half. The English edition is also memorable for having the most number of typos and errors I've ever read (and I'm a teacher who reads multiple textbooks a year!). At one point I could swear there was possibly an entire paragraph missing!

"I had to be equal to what had happened, and had to do it with as much naturalness as possible... drawing on the best part of myself." Five hundred pages of therapy resulted in a book that this reader expected too much from, but perhaps others with kinder life experiences may find helpful.

View all my reviews