"Not only does reading stimulate knowledge but it also cultivates an open mind which, in my mind is key to making the world a better place together with humans reflecting more on their mortality."
Pascal Adolphe
Why Should We Read?
Everyone has their own idea of how things should work, but with a little inspiration from David Beckham, aliens, and the starry skies of his native Indian Ocean island, Gaston Le Clezio thinks he's figured out the perfect plan to save the world from socioeconomic injustice fueled by rampant capitalism.
Years later, in a pitch to a local council in Australia, his friend Patrick calls it FAIR-Formula Advancing Income Revolution-and the concept is simple. Pay all workers the same income, and offer bonuses to those who make a positive difference on society's progress and wellbeing. What could complicate that?
Fame, romance, political ambition, greedy developers, corrupt officials, and depraved priests in Gaston's home village all seem to conspire against them as they navigate the volatile arenas of public policy and human nature with thought-provoking insight and bawdy humour.
In the end, it's not a question of finding one solution for all the world's problems, but of deciding what is fair and what is feasible.
At times farcical, Gaston Saves the World posits a formula for a better world where good triumphs over evil and true love conquers not all, but most.
“How much money does the pope have, miss? I bet he doesn’t have as much as David Beckham.”
“I read in the papers that David Beckham gives a lot of money to charities. Does the pope do that too, miss?”
Gaston Saves the World
Eila Jameson-Avey
"A story of a young man coming of age in post-colonial Mauritius where the church and corrupt officials hold power. A series of vignettes delivers a resounding finale that shows following your dreams and focusing on family and community will always win out. A lovely read that takes you on a meander through the landscape of beautiful Mauritius."
KC
"This book is super unique and different. It’s wild, there are a ton of triggers in this one so be warned, some of these include pedophila, suicide, and abuse. This wasn’t an easy read as you can tell, and it left even my thriller loving soul feeling uneasy. I feel like the author may have been going for some deeper meanings that I may have missed. There are a ton of side characters in this one so I felt myself getting lost in it at some points. This is a book that left me wanting to talk about it with other readers."
Jan Farnworth
"This a thought-provoking book that may have you looking at the world in a whole new light and thinking about how we value paying for various jobs and rewarding those who strive to improve society."
Audrey Oaks
"Described as “at times farcical” the book is packed with ideas such as good over evil, love conquers all, family is dysfunctional, religion is a scam, sex makes people do crazy things, what will the neighbors think, and hard work pays off- sometimes. This book is not for everyone. I know some would be offended by the depiction of the Catholic Church and some other random tangents. There are many characters to keep track of and almost too many plot lines for one book, but it kept me reading just to see if Gaston could really save the world!"
Kind Words
Pascal Adolphe
Hi, I am
Like my novel’s hero, Gaston, I was introduced to the wonderful world of reading through Tintin and other comic style picture books that are very popular in Europe, even among adults.
I remember, still a child, and sneaking a read of my parents’ adult books of that genre where the narrative of serious love stories evolved through a series of black and white photos. I’ve been a romantic since a tender young age that found expression in the “pure” love story between Gaston and Solange that “softens” the biting satire of the novel. The early introduction to “eroticism” in those books also bred a healthy curiosity in sex that has evolved in me having a very healthy, positive attitude to sexuality; not the association of sex with dirty, sordid, immoral behaviour that prevails in some parts of society.
“After all none of us would be here without sex!!”
Not only does reading stimulate knowledge but it also cultivates an open mind which, in my mind is key to making the world a better place together with humans reflecting more on their mortality.
“After all, were here for a good time, not a long time.”
And if we thought about mortality a bit more, perhaps we’d want to make life as pleasant as possible for everyone. But that’s just the idealist in me that, I’m glad, continues to infest my psyche.
“After all, we’ll all be equal one day… equally dead.”
