« Il faut nier, nier, nier »

The expression « Il faut nier, nier, nier » is presented as advice to deny wrongdoing in a sexual-assault case. In the scene where it is repeated, its political origin collides with Alexandre’s unspoken purpose: he does not want to discuss politics, but wants to move toward intimacy. The phrase therefore links public rhetoric about accusation and culpability to a private encounter in which the question of consent will matter.

The expression and its source

The woman visiting Alexandre recalls a statement attributed to Donald Trump and says it appears in a book by Bob Woodward. As she recounts it, the advice is to deny everything, because admitting even the smallest degree of guilt would be disastrous. The wording is emphatic through repetition: denial is not a single response but a tactic to be sustained.

The apartment scene

The woman arrives at Alexandre’s apartment in sports clothes and speaks confidently. Once they are seated in the living room, she initiates a discussion of domestic politics, describing her hatred of Trump and bringing up his remarks about women. Alexandre has no interest in the subject; the narration identifies his attention as directed toward having sex with her. Her continued political argument makes the gap between their immediate concerns explicit.

Narrative significance

The phrase enters the novel as reported political speech, not as a confession by Alexandre or proof of his later conduct. Its placement nevertheless creates tension: advice about denying guilt is voiced just before Alexandre approaches the woman and loosens her hair. The scene brings a public language of accusation into a private encounter without resolving what that encounter means. The expression’s significance lies in this juxtaposition, and in the way the warning about denial resonates against the novel’s wider concern with sexual conduct and responsibility.