Ruben's Reviews > De purs hommes

'The Most Secret Memory of Men' made me eager to read more by Mbougar Sarr.

'De Purs Hommes' or 'Real Men' is an earlier work, but already shows the talent and has a similar sensual atmosphere. Also here, the protagonist, Gueye, is an academic embarking on some sort of quest.

When Gueye is confronted with a short video circulating online of a dead man being disinterred from an Islamic graveyard because he is rumoured to have been gay, he develops an unexpected interest in the situation of gay people in (extremely) homophobic Senegal.

Gueye's father is in the race to become the next Imam, but his girlfriend is bisexual. And when Gueye teaches Verlaine at university, his students take issue with it.

Strange enough, none of the characters is actually gay, even if they may sympathise with the cause. Maybe this choice served to make the point that you don't have to be gay to fall prey to homophobia and violence - the rumour is enough. But it felt strange and there were more scenes where I am not sure what to think.

Anyway, as a novel it works well.