Ripening Seed by Colette

Publisher: Penguin, Paperback, ISBN: 0140183213, Page count: 128 pp., Released Feb. 1996

Colette’s Ripening Seed (translated from the French Le Blé en Herbe) is the story of Phil and Vinca, two co-dependent teenage lovers in the process of evolving from a childhood romance into a serious adult relationship. At least, that’s what they both claim to want. The 15-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy are budding adults and, although they’d never actually make a note of it to anyone other than each other, demand (at least internally) to be treated and addressed as such.

Except, of course, for when they don’t. It’s obvious that the two are feeling torn between their current, younger selves and the adult beings they’re on the verge of becoming, but because the novel is exceptionally slow in its pacing, and because the portrayal of the characters are so bland and formless, rather than coming across as a typical coming-of-age story, Ripening Seed almost ostracizes the reader with superfluous whining on the part of Phil and Vinca.

Enter Mme. Dalleray, Phil’s lovely “Lady in White” and resident seductress/plot device to the story’s rescue. Phil fancies himself the master in his (randomly) verbally abusive relationship with Vinca. The story then follows his challenge to maintain that role once seduced by Mme. Dalleray, as their tryst results in transforming the dominant Phil into a crybaby sub. This change is noted and repulsed by Vinca, but when knowledge of the affair comes to light, she too swaps roles and seduces Phil.

It should be noted that Colette’s descriptions of the landscape are beautifully woven in such a way that they always parallel Phil and Vinca’s relationship. However, they fail in their purpose (i.e. to add to the supposed romantic mood of the text), which leads this reviewer to believe that Ripening Seed’s saving grace has become lost in translation.