The Man Who Walked Through Walls

The Man Who Walked Through Walls written by Marcel Ayme, and translated so beautifully into English by Sophie Lewis, is a book made up of several really rather darkly humoured short stories. The Man Who Walked Through Walls, title to this collection and opening tale is about a bank clerk with the power to walk through walls, but shall we say has never seen a use for it due to the 'abundance' of doors.

This first story really grips you as a reader when Dutilleul (main character) decides to become a super-villain who cannot be stopped due too no cell being able to contain him.

This collection of stories covers a wide range of bizarre yet wonderful ideas, while also looking closely at a human's feelings and the happenings in France during the Second World War. Whilst in some stories, such as 'Sabine Woman' we are able to read the chaotic comedy of a woman with the power of ubiquity, who by the end of the story has 'sixty-seven thousand and something' replicas of herself, we also see the more real side to the way people lived during the Second World War in 'While Waiting'.

What all these stories do have in common from a well loved and cherished French writer is the way they are written. They all contain this dark humour that just grips you throughout. When serious matters such as the Second World War are discussed there is always an aspect of hilarity to follow. In cases where life becomes rationed and men can only live so many days of the month in 'Tickets On Time', to a time when men have to give their wives to the tax man in 'The Wife Collector'.

These short stories are timeless, and a recommended read if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary.