Out of Order Book Club: Alex (2013)

Welcome to the second episode of Out of Order Book Club. This week we take a look at 'Alex' written by Pierre LaMaitre and translated by Frank Wynne. In this episode, Mal will have her memory tested by the twists and turns in 'Alex', will apologise again (and again) for her poor pronunciation skills, and will constantly change her mind about the themes in the book.

Podcast content: Some swearing, mention (but no description) of violence against women

You can find Mal on Blue Sky: @outoforderbookclub.bsky.social

Useful links and sources for this episode:

Oregon State University's video about literary themes

The Strand Magazine 2015 interview with Pierre LeMaitre

Interview with Pierre LeMaitre and Frank Wynne for Audible

Doon Mackichan speaks out against crime porn - In the podcast, I said the critiques about violence against women in TV shows had been increasing for 'a year or so'. This was wrong. This comes from nearly a decade ago.

Interview with Pierre LeMaitre and Frank Wynne for WHSmiths - I found this after I had finished the podcast, and I think it is worth a look. There is a great bit at the end about the process of translation.