Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Get started
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
The Lover summary
Marguerite Duras
Brief summary
The Lover is a memoir by Marguerite Duras that poetically captures the author's passionate and illicit affair with an older Chinese man, exploring themes of desire, love, and power in colonial Vietnam.
Table of Contents
The Lover
Summary of key ideas
Setting and Characters
In The Lover, a novel by Marguerite Duras, we are transported to French colonial Vietnam in the 1930s. The story is essentially a coming of age tale about an unnamed adolescent girl, who is the youngest among her siblings, with an older brother and an abusive elder brother. The family is beset by poverty and the girl's mother is a schoolteacher struggling to keep the family afloat. The main protagonist, a French teenager, crosses paths with a wealthy and sophisticated Chinese man, who is named only as 'the lover' in the novel, and the pair form an intense and turbulent relationship.
The relationship begins when the young girl accepts a lift from the Chinese man in his fancy car. Despite their vast social and cultural differences, a strong bond ensues between the two, characterized by passion, conflict, and a mutual sense of being outsiders.
Dynamics of the Relationship
The Lover charts the course of their relationship, which evolves from a forbidden sexual alliance to something more profound. With the Chinese man, the young girl finds an escape from her bleak family life and meets her physical needs but also experiences emotional turmoil. Her feelings for her lover are complicated by their different social standings and her own ambivalence towards her sexuality and her role as a woman.
The lover, in turn, is drawn to the girl's virginal beauty and her sharp intellect, but he is burdened by his father's expectations and cultural obligations. He struggles with his love for a white woman, knowing it could destroy his prospects within his own community.
The Struggles of the Protagonists
As the novel progresses, we see the protagonist grappling with her inner urges and self-deprecating attitude. She often contemplates whether she is using her lover for pecuniary benefits or if she truly does love him. This dilemma is played out seriously in her relationship with her family, particularly her elder brother, who disapproves of her dealings.
Meanwhile, the lover grapples with his own dilemmas - the social expectations of marrying a 'respectable' Chinese woman, the disapproval of his father and his own feelings for the woman he loves. This dichotomy of their struggles creates a volatile yet passionate feeling that seeps through the fleeting moments the two spend together.
The Climax and Conclusion
In the end, the girl leaves Vietnam for France. She does so willingly, not because she has to, but because she wants to escape her family and the life she has known. She breaks away from her lover, leaving him heartbroken and desolate.
For years afterward, the woman remembers her lover, not with regret, but with bittersweet memory of a love that could not last. The Lover thus presents a trenchant exploration into the heart of a young girl experiencing her first love, grappling with societal norms, and coming of age in a foreign land.
How do we create content on this page?
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Lover about?
The Lover is a semi-autobiographical novel that tells the story of a young French girl's affair with a wealthy Chinese man in 1920s colonial Vietnam. It explores themes of love, desire, and power dynamics, and is known for its lyrical prose and evocative portrayal of a forbidden romance.
The Lover Review
The Lover (1984) by Marguerite Duras is a captivating novel that explores forbidden love and the complexities of relationships. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:
- The book's raw and evocative portrayal of an unconventional relationship between a young girl and an older man challenges societal norms and provokes thought.
- With its sensuous descriptions and lyrical prose, the book creates a vivid and immersive reading experience, taking readers on a journey through the sights, sounds, and emotions of colonial Vietnam.
- Duras' skillful storytelling and her ability to convey the intensity of desire and longing make this book a compelling and emotionally resonant read.
Who should read The Lover?
- Readers who enjoy emotionally intense and lyrical literature
- Individuals interested in exploring complex relationships and the impact of colonialism on personal identity
- Those who appreciate autobiographical novels with a distinct narrative voice
Categories with The Lover
Book summaries like The Lover
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
36 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
The Lover FAQs
What is the main message of The Lover?
The main message of The Lover is a complex exploration of love, desire, power, and social boundaries.
How long does it take to read The Lover?
The reading time for The Lover varies depending on the reader. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Lover a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Lover is worth reading for its evocative prose, unique storytelling style, and thought-provoking themes.
Who is the author of The Lover?
The author of The Lover is Marguerite Duras.
What to read after The Lover?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Lover, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson
- The Art Of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
- A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink
- Theory U by C. Otto Scharmer
- The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
- The Innovator ’s Dilemma# by Clayton M. Christensen
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
- Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull with Amy Wallace
- Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
- The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda