Change is a strange thing. I have changed all throughout my life and probably will until the day that I die. Change is inevitable. Change is sometimes necessary. In order to continue, to grow, or to survive. In order to become who we want to be.

In this book, Édouard Louis tells us all about the changes he went through. And at what cost all those changes came. An extremely painful journey where Louis constantly wants to reinvent himself in order to distance himself further from the person he once was. His upbringing and his working-class youth. This is not a happy tale. This is not change for the better. This is change because he feels like he must shed every skin with a better, smarter, and richer one. Leaving behind a trail of friends and family.

Slowly but surely climbing the social ladder. Changing his education, studying, and even altering his appearance to keep moving on up. But at what price? In the end, you can't outrun your own shame, insecurities, and heritage. When I read the book, I felt a certain kind of fascination but also annoyance for Louis, which I guess is also the point. The story also acts as a sort of apology to those he met and left behind. It's a fascinating story about someone desperate to become more than he once was.

When I look back at my life up until now, I too have been many different people. Falling in and out of different groups of friends, relationships, and places where I lived. I like the person who I am now much more than I did before. But sometimes it feels like this is just another version too. Who will I become next?