Here's my feature for this week.
The Chameleon
It's a profile of Frédéric Bourdin, a french con-man who poses/blends in as any number of international youths/adolescents. I know its rather long, and for that I apologize, but as I was reading, I lost myself in the story - felt like a quick read.
Bourdin's story is ... well, really out there. It reads like a "Catch Me If You Can" scenario (you guys have seen that movie, right?), but strangely, more intense. I assume I feel that way because Bourdin, who during some parts of the story is in his 30's, is posing as one or more children. In one instance, he convinces multiple authorities that he is the missing child of a drug-addled, American family living in San Antonio. This event is explicitly analyzed in the piece, and is the most far-fetched of Bourdin's "accomplishments."
The mini-profiles of the American family and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of their 13-year-old son (whom Bourdin impersonates) add to the incredulous nature of the story. That Bourdin allows David Grann to follow his life and detail his morally ambiguous exploits is surprising in itself.
Then again, I suppose this story is about closure for specific individuals, about finding direction or purpose in life. In the context of Bourdin's moral ambiguity, it concludes as a tale of redemption (kind of). I suppose the only complicating factor of the story was the sheer number of characters - from Bourdin's many identities, to the members of his "adoptive" American family, as well as the number of detectives and federal agents involved in the case, it was admittedly difficult keeping them all straight. Regardless, Grann's piece is, in my opinion, an excellent read. Hope you enjoy it. Looking forward to our chat on Wednesday.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree - I couldn't stop reading once I started. Grann sucks the reader in by piquing his curiosity, and then, just when you think it can't get any weirder, it does. It's like a good detective novel. With the Nicholas Barclay part, Grann does an excellent job of building the suspense and letting the action unfold little by little. As with the article on Cameron, I thought that the quotes that Grann used here were really effective. Bourdin says, “I think I would be a very good actor, like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. But I don’t want to play somebody. I want to be somebody.” Wow. I understand Bourdin so much better from that quote than I could from paraphrasing.
ReplyDelete