After a break of roughly six months, I came across another excellent book by Pascal Bruckner, "My Little Husband" ("Mon Petit Mari"). It strongly resembles "The Divine Child", especially in style - very funny in some parts, but also quite deep. At first, while reading the "The Divine Child", I wasn't very fond of this style of writing as it seemed a bit superficial and exaggerated, but now I started to get quite fond of it - especially when it comes to adjectives and how wonderfully they blend together, creating the mood and the atmosphere of the book. It's quite a pity that I have read only the translated version, as I think the original would have been more interesting and effective. Nevertheless, it definitively shows the power of words - they aren't just a means of expressing ideas, but also feelings, creating a mood and why not, an entire world.

On a first look, "My Little Husband" brings up the theme of the husband that is at the will of his wife, under her feet as they say. He is not bothered by this, in fact, he enjoys playing this role as it gives him the love and attention that he didn't get when he was a child (of course, this is only a presumption as the book doesn't provide many details around that part). But this description would probably be unfair, as I believe it also brings up some other interesting ideas - mostly related to the male role in the couple, but some applicable to both partners.

There are a few aspects that seemed quite important for me. I'm still quite sure that I've missed some, but hopefully they won't be too many or too important.

• The fact that he is smaller in height than his wife creates an inferiority complex which he starts to enjoy. It's not that bad being associated with a little toy.
• Leon, the main character, shrinks in size with 39 centimeters after each child is born; but until the last step of the transformation, he manages to keep his "manhood" and serves his duty as a husband.
• Obviously, the novel also brings up the feeling of a new father, that finds himself lost when he sees the strong links between the mother and offspring. They shared the same body, how could he ever compete with that?
• Overall Leon seems like a good person, craving for the serenity offered by a happy marriage - yet, in his goodness towards the others, he forgets most of the good things about himself, the ones that define him - instead, he sees only the good traits of his wife. (It reminds me of losing yourself in the other, one of the main themes from "Bitter Moon")
• Having a physical disadvantage prevents Leon from gaining the respect of his children. Though, this might also be due to the fact that he does not have any self-respect, hence how would he be able to get it from someone else?
• [Spoiler] The cure for shrinking is quite simple and was probably there all the time - all he has to do is gain his pride, his will and self respect, and leave the house. He craves for freedom, yet he is ready to give marriage another try, but definitively by having an advantage in height (even ground doesn't seem to be enough).

I think the book should be seen more as a warning of the dangerous pitfalls of losing yourself in the other, of losing your self esteem (though it's portrayed mostly from the male perspective, I think it has a correspondence in the female perspective as well). It also mocks the principles of marriage - the "duties" of both partners and how they degenerate human beings into something simple, without any magic whatsoever. The end is a bit conservative, as Leon still hopes to find that pretty woman, not too short, but definitively not taller than himself. Maybe in the end, the physic does matter, as it offers the support needed for self esteem.