Résumé
The novel is an episodic philosophical fiction that follows the conversations and misadventures of a valet named Jacques and his master as they travel to an unknown destination.
To pass the time, Jacques promises to tell the story of his loves, but the narrative is constantly interrupted by digressions, philosophical discussions, and other characters' stories.
The central theme of the book revolves around the concept of fatalism, with Jacques believing that "everything that happens to us, good or bad, was written up there".
The book challenges the conventions of the traditional novel by breaking the "pact of reading," with a narrator who directly addresses, and at times, teases the reader.