The Possession by Annie Ernoux is a short novella about an all-consuming jealousy the narrator feels about her ex-husband’s new partner. The story follows the narrator as she begins to obsess about the new woman her ex-husband is dating, and the feeling of desire and resentment she begins to feel as she compares it to being “possessed.” The narrator spends the story trying to figure out who this mysterious woman he is dating is and regretting ending her relationship even though it left her feeling unsatisfied. It is a deeply interesting character study into the emotion of jealousy that works really well.
The introspective nature of the story makes it effective and compelling. There is not a lot of plot in the story. The author instead chooses to focus on the psyche of the narrator and how her jealousy towards this relationship begins to affect her everyday life. The story is vaguely modeled after the author’s own relationship experience, which makes the story feel real and almost tangible. The most interesting part is how much she obsesses over the woman, whom she has never met and never will meet, rather than her ex-husband. She wants to know who this woman is and what is so special about her. It drives the narrator mad, and the descent into obsession is incredibly interesting.
I think the short nature of the book works to its advantage. Because of the lack of plot, a longer story would lack structure, and the all-encompassing mind of the narrator would start to feel repetitive. Ernoux is fantastic at describing minor details that get under your skin, as the emotions that the narrator is feeling begin to feel relatable. The descent into possessiveness she feels as she begins to obsess over this woman and who she might be. The story mostly takes place in her thoughts, and the plot revolves around minor moments in her relationship with her ex-husband after their divorce.
I recommend this novella to anyone interested in reading a story about introspection and the encompassing nature of jealousy and obsession. The writing style was gripping, and the story itself was really well crafted. The descriptions that Ernoux uses to explain what she is feeling are very engaging, vulnerable, and work really well. I will note that some of the sexual references made throughout the story felt a little jarring, but I did listen to the story via audiobook, so that may have affected my experience. Overall, it did not distract from the quality of the story, and sometimes even enhanced it, but it was notable enough for me to notice it. I also highly recommend the audiobook. The story itself reads as a stream of consciousness as the protagonist begins to recount her obsession and jealousy over the woman, and the audiobook narrator does a great job of putting you into her mind. The Possession is a short novella, definitely worth reading, and the contemplative nature of the story will leave you thinking about it for a while.
