Six characters come together to talk about Cormier, great musician, who has retired and lives now in a town near a lake. Solange Lasserre, the caretaker, Camille Bonnavent, the old friend, Maurice Forbin, the manager, Odile Dhue, the daughter, Henri Nicolet, the businessman and Xenia Concessio, the wife. One after the other, without hesitation and in a conversational tone, they talk about Cormier as souvenirs come and go. The portrait of the absent becomes more and more precise...
La vie parlée is Bernard Chapuis' fourth novel. His third novel, L'année dernière, has been published by Stock in 1999.