Standing Heavy

Beautifully written from the point of view of a Black, Marxist security guard, Standing Heavy is one of those rare, transformative novels. Beware: it might make your next shopping trip somewhat trickier -- KARIM MISKE
A funny and poignant intergenerational tale of three Ivoirian men newly arrived in Paris. And a sharp social and political commentary, delivered via the sharp eyes of the black security guards that white Paris relies on to keep itself safe. -- TIFFANY TSAO * author of The Majesties and translator of International Booker-longlisted Happy Stories, Mostly *
Dura lex sed... dura! The harsh standing life of an immigrant. A pataphysical ethnography of the consumer society written by an undocumented anthropologist with an exemplary critical humour -- ALBERTO PRUNETTI * author of Down and Out in England and Italy *
This inventive and very funny debut novel offers a whistle-stop, whizz-bang tour of Franco-African history * Guardian *
This compact, humane satire, deftly translated by Frank Wynne, entertains as much as it informs. -- Lucy Popescu * Financial Times *
I ended up laughing out loud * Huffington Post *
Gauz castigates the excesses of our society with a humorous first novel in which political satire takes on airs of a poetry slam * Stylist (France) *
Brutal, fierce and often awkward, this little book will feel like a body search * Lire *
An alert, offbeat and indispensable book * La Nouvelle Vie Ouvrière *
A cunning observer and a disenchanted protestor, Gauz makes shopping an ethnological mine, a priceless sketch and a combat sport * Elle *
What an eye! Gauz saw everything, observed everything, analysed everything during his experiences as a security guard. He takes a dive in time and into the territory of the Ivorians of Paris. The whole French immigration policy emerges through this book . . . Fresh and witty * L'Express *
A powerful book * Huma *
Full of hilarious observations * Le Figaro *
A formidable keenness of observation and a sarcastic wit * La Croix *
A tender and ironic look at our consumer society * Marie-France *
Gauz honours the sufferings, pitfalls and joys of the African community in Paris, by painting a grotesque portrait of our consumer society * Pèlerin *
Gauz casts a tender, yet lucid gaze on the African community. By devoting a book to the shadowy men of security, Gauz finally gives voice and life to those who, oddly enough, are invisible * Le Matricule des Anges *
Under the guise of fun, the author shows the pathos of the buying fever in the West, mixing the madness of the sales with the history of Ivorians in Paris * Nouvel Observateur *
No-one is spared in this biting, satirical account of cosmopolitan life -- Conrad Landin * New Internationalist *