> but seems to revel in clichés about France Obviously he does. It’s an article about Simenon. Have you ever read one of his books? Reading Maigret is basical

> but seems to revel in clichés about France Obviously he does. It’s an article about Simenon. Have you ever read one of his books? Reading Maigret is basically walking from a French cliché to another one. > This is not what Simenon is doing. Nor is Gopnik pretending he is. He is merely using the phrase “presaged aspects of the nouveau roman”. Gopnik is being awfully nice to Simenon in his article. He is trying to elevate what is mostly a serial producer of crime novels even if a good one to a higher position. He does so somewhat convincingly actually. He compares him to Ernaux not for an obsession for details but for their mutual ability to only describe the surface of events - basically what you are reproaching to Ernaux.