The Plomeurs from Quimper, in Brittany, are butchers from father to son. As soon as he reaches puberty, in the midst of the First World War I, André, the only son of André and Fernande, develops the knack of making the flesh sing… And not just any flesh: the flesh of the many women who stand on line at Plomeur’s Butchers, hoping to get a taste of ultimate pleasure. André has cheerfully and skillfully taken on the marital duties of the men at the front, but then the Armistice comes along, and the husbands start to come back. One morning, in front of the butcher shop, André finds a basket with a baby inside. Then another, and another and another. From one day to the next, André has seven children and a jealous husband out to get him. In order to protect his flesh and blood, with whom he falls infinitely in love, he decides to take to the seas and head off to distant America. Along the way, the noisy tribe washes up on a desert island…

A droll and truculent world.
A fable-like tale of self-discovery and lineage.
A short novel enhanced by the sensuality of the writing and the depth of Martin Provost’s observations.