A man is vegetating in an apartment that we picture as barely furnished. This man, who hardly seems worn out from overwork, spends his days killing time. He wakes up, goes out or stays in, gets the mail, walks the streets, runs into lots of people, and every 2 weeks, takes the train to Mourmelon, where he visits an elderly aunt who sprinkles sugar on her strawberries slowly, as she frets, waiting for the Americans.
This very ordinary-looking man nevertheless realizes that more and more often, he is being mistaken for other men. People in the street are sure they’ve seen him somewhere before. Out of politeness, he agrees, because he hates disappointing whoever comes up and talks to him so pleasantly. Especially since sometimes, the person they think he is really seems quite interesting.
The man’s daily life is somewhat overwhelmed by the multiple personalities he finds attributed to himself. Gangster, former cellmate, plumber, downstairs-neighbor’s husband. Reality is unstable and our man, always out of step, will take on with obvious good will whatever role chance assigns him…
The Man who was Mistaken for Other Men is a very funny novel which affords us the pleasure of a new glimpse into Joël Egloff’s poetic world.

A very ordinary-looking man is mistaken for other men on a daily basis. A face as common as his can’t help but attract attention. Two eyes, a nose, a mouth have to remind you of someone!