It tells the story of a busy Paris antiques dealer who does not seem to be able to relax and settle down, not even when he finally becomes enamoured, gets married and has a child.

[2] Bill Spence of The Press wrote in 2015: "This novel is a joy to read and has been superbly translated for the first time in English.

"[3] Kirkus Reviews stated the same year: "The translation's prose is refined and worldly, the atmosphere European, the overall effect that of a jeu d'esprit.

The four women's curious behavior recalls moments in Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels and Eugenides' Virgin Suicides.

[6] A television movie directed by Sébastien Grall, also titled The Hurried Man, was released in 2005.