Brown Morning - Franck Pavloff

Author: Franck Pavloff

Genre: Short Story, Dystopia

Rating: 4.25 stars.

A hard-hitting novella that delivers a powerful message without going overboard on the verbosity.

Written in the first person, the narrator begins in a conversational style, casually speaking of government dictates about the colour ‘brown’ and how easy it had been to adapt his lifestyle towards the new regulations. His friend Charlie, for instance, got rid of his black Labrador and the narrator himself, of his black and white cat. Easy changes after all. The modifications don’t stop here and the narrator’s world is slowly turned more “brown”, but he still isn’t much worried. The government is catching OTHERS, so “everything was ok”. As you can guess, the almost Orwellian rules don’t stay without impacting everyone, and by the time the narrator realises the magnitude of the changes, it is too late.

Originally written in French, this allegory against the fascist government was penned for a conference on fascism in 1998 when the Rhone-Alps region of France leaned to the politics of the extreme right. The story was published by a small independent publisher. Matin Brun (translating to “Brown Morning”) sold more than 2000 copies within just three years and mainly through word of mouth publicity. After a radio broadcaster spoke about it in 2001, the book came back in the public eye and has gone on to sell more than 500000 copies in Europe and has been translated into several languages.

I had a slight sense of déjà vu while reading this little twelve-page novella. It reminded me of some short story I had read where an old couple has suffered losses through their dystopian rulers and knows that death is inevitable. (I wish I could remember which story this was and where I had read it. If I recollect it, I will update my review.) At the same time, it also has shades of the famous poem by Martin Niemöller. Titled "First They Came", it speaks of how the narrator stays silent when others are affected, until he realises that there is no left to speak for him. A common human tendency, right? “As long as it doesn’t affect me, I will not open my mouth” syndrome.

Within just a few pages, the book, with its simplistic prose and straightforward delivery, creates a strong impact, highlighting the importance of speaking up at the right time before it too late. After all, if common citizens stay silent allowing the injustice to be widespread, it can’t be reigned in until later, sometimes never.

If you are looking for a short yet meaningful read, do give this title a try.

The book can be read online in both English and French through THIS LINK.