Man about town, an established member of the London Society scene, and a good friend of Epicurean Life - Thierry Macquet has announced the release of his inspiring and exciting debut novel - ‘Message from an Adventurous Ancestor’.
In the novel, Thierry tells the tale of two men from different eras tied through blood line and the social realities of their time and how humanity does not fundamentally change over the course of centuries despite wars, revolutions, and pandemics.
Synopsis
Adrien Mullet de Lespinasse seems to hold all the cards to make him a happy person. Born in the upper drawers of society on the island of Mauritius where his lot controls most of the economy, he grew up in a wealthy loving family who holds outdated colonial values unique to Franco Mauritians except for his open minded English mother considered an outsider with a free spirit. At forty-five, this handsome aristocrat is suffering like many of his generation from ‘The perfect happiness syndrome’ while living an exuberant life as a London socialite and travelling the world with the happy few. The Covid 19 pandemic puts an abrupt end to this rat race; a self-destructing race where drugs, money and social recognition are the supreme rulers of a borderline decadent social order still thriving in a so-called egalitarian Britain. Adrien quits London and goes into self-confinement on his island where he is forced to face his true self after years of denial despite having gone through moments of acute depression.
An oil portrait of his direct ancestor Charles dating from the 1820 when the man was also in his mid-forties living another pandemic will be a catalyst which will change Adrien’s path, and this will open his mind to the fact that he has been looking for perfection in an imperfect world when he already holds all the ingredients to be contented. The diaries of this adventurous French Viscount discovered in the attic of their family seat will reveal striking similarities between the life journey of those two men sharing the same genes while living two centuries apart, with both experiencing similar situations, meeting people with strikingly identical profiles, and visiting the same exotic places in totally different eras.
Charles wins the fight to quit the golden cage which he was born into and pursues his ambition of navigating across the oceans, where the young adventurer sets sail to foreign lands miles away from a France on the verge of collapse under an archaic regime which bleeds to death the starving masses. His escape brings him to Africa, the Indian sub-continent and the Mascarene islands where he immerses himself into the ethnic cultures while meeting incredible human beings who will teach him how to love and hate, before he settles down on an island which will soon be a bone of contention between two old rival powers. Through his journey, one dives into the historical setting of the nineteenth century with its revolutions, decadent ruling classes, and the ruthlessness of European Monarchs wishing at any cost to expand their wealth and colonial territories through slavery and land grabbing policies. Charles remains in good and turbulent moments a free spirit ahead of his time, refusing to comply to existing social norms but instead following his instincts when going through his rollercoaster life before settling down. He will have a blood line with a few eccentric characters who share many of his personality traits.
Adrien was born with a silver spoon in his mouth in a community which is slowly losing its privileges on an island where the former ‘slaves’ are now the political elite. Torn between the traditional views of his paternal family and his maternal British values, he moves to England to study at Oxford where his impeccable social credentials open all the doors in high circles. The handsome islander is gifted with a brilliant mind, but often mentally tortured with his search for an ideal life which only exists in his imagination. He will face hurdles like those of this ancestor with heart breaks, sporadic mental turmoil, and the loss of loved ones while shining in the fickle bubble which is the British upper class. The Corona pandemic tragedy will be a wakeup call where he will finally accept who he is, with a return to his Mauritian roots which will bring him serenity.
The life of both men has as a backdrop the social realities of their times, showing that humanity does not fundamentally change over the course of centuries despite wars, revolutions and pandemics. It will also bring to life a few flamboyant characters who can only be found in the heart of the rich and blue-blooded elite, with readers travelling through time.
Release date December 1st 2020
Publisher, United Kingdom: Grosvenor House Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-83975-327-5
Cover by Artist Tushar Sabale