Deserved winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature!Sexism, economic inequality and classism; An…Deserved winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature!Sexism, economic inequality and classism; Annie Ernaux observes a lot of broader society from overheard metro conversations, from shopping in malls, by visiting galeries and observing life in general around Paris.I’m visited by people and their lives - like a whore.Interesting observations from 1985 till 1992 that still capture a lot of relevant themes of the current day. The exhibitionism of people, discussing loudly their lives in public transport while being dressed in tracksuits, made me think of social media and how much easier it is nowadays to mass broadcast oneself to the world. Also the collapse of retail is clearly not effectuated in Ernaux her book, but can be seen sort of starting, with cashiers chatting, people to pick up trolleys being laid off and butcher visits as the heart of the social happening in the town slowly fading out. Graffiti (against colonial wars for instance) and homeless people often recur, being seen and documented by Annie Ernaux in this slim book. The conversations she writes down, sometime ad verbatim, are often hilarious: It’s just not fair. Then: I want to go back into my egg, it was nice and cosy.All the while the author is acutely aware that it is hard to move from general observations to the interior or statements on the broader time and age, shown by sentences like: I realize that I am forever combing reality for signs of literature.Overall I really like the writing style of Ernaux and the social perspective that is apparent in her writing. This was a shorter and older work, also less personal than the auto fiction she is more known for, but it still is very much an interesting read. 3.5 stars rounded down.