The Panda Theory

By: Pascal Garnier

Narrated by: Peter Noble

Gabriel is a stranger in a small Breton town. Nobody knows where he came from or why he's here. Yet his small acts of kindness, and exceptional cooking, quickly earn him acceptance from the locals.

His new friends grow fond of Gabriel, who seems as reserved and benign as the toy panda he wins at the funfair. But unlike Gabriel, the fluffy toy is not haunted by his past….

©2014 Gallic Books (P)2014 Gallic Books

Critic reviews

"Often bleak, often funny and never predictable." ( The Observer)

"Garnier's take on the frailty of life has a bracing originality." ( The Sunday Times)

My favorite Pascal Garnier book so far...

Peter Noble did a wonderful job narrating this book.

What can I say about Pascal Garnier? 'Genius' comes to mind. I found this author by way of a LitReactor article on 'authors you should be reading.' This is my third, and so far, that article has been spot-on.

Existential Nour Of the Highest Order

Pascal Garnier is a deeply philosophical writer with a treacherous and bloody mind. Think Camus crossed with Patricia Highsmith. Garnier worldview is random, mundane, dark, and most disturbingly, oft times hilarious. I'm Hooked!!! Peter Noble's narration is sublime.

Well written but to bleak for my tastes.

This author is definitely an acquired taste; one I do not wish to acquire however. It held my interest but kept my mood low due to its central themes of meaningless existence and life as pain.