Book Review: Standing Heavy by Gauz (translated by Frank Wynne)

My Rating: 3.5⭐

“Standing Heavy: designates all the various professions that require the employee to remain standing in order to earn a pittance”

Standing Heavy by Gauz (translated by Frank Wynne) revolves around the experiences of three undocumented immigrants from Côte d’Ivoire who take up jobs as security guards in shopping centers around Paris.

The narrative is divided into three interconnected parts /timelines with snippets detailing the keen (often humorous) observations and experiences of security guards manning the entrance of branches of Sephora in Paris. The Bronze Age (1960-1980) focuses on Ferdinand an immigrant who reaches Paris and takes up a job as a security guard. In the Golden Age (1990-2000) we meet Ossiri, a former teacher who gives up the monotony of his teaching job and travels to Paris hoping to change his fortunes where meets fellow immigrant Kassoum. Ferdinand, now, operating as a subcontractor secures positions for them as security guards at an abandoned flour mill in shifts. The Age of Lead follows these characters and how their living situations and employment opportunities are afftected by the policies and politics in response to the threat of terrorism in the post-9/11 era. In the course of the stories of our three central characters, we also follow the politics, impact of colonialism and its aftermath as well as the impact of changes in the political climate and leadership in their home country and international immigration policies on the residents of the RSCI (Residence for Students from Cote d'Ivoire) which housed several Ivoirian immigrants.

The author, also from Côte d’Ivoire, spent some time in Paris as an undocumented student working as a security guard in Paris before returning to his country. The observations on the work environment, consumer behavior and culture in high-end shopping malls, shared in snippets interspersed throughout the narrative are sharp and witty and might make you feel a tad self-conscious the next time you encounter a security guard at the entrance (and exit) of a store/shopping mall. Touching upon themes ranging from immigrant experiences and immigration politics to colonialism, class distinctions, racial profiling and consumerism, in tones varying from satirical, factual and insightful, Standing Heavy is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The uneven somewhat disjointed narrative took a while to adjust to. This is a short novel with a broad scope, which makes me wonder whether perhaps deeper discussions on a few issues would have rendered it more impactful. Overall, I did appreciate the premise of this short yet timely and relevant novel and feel there is much about it that is praiseworthy but I wasn’t as taken with it as I had hoped.