We begin with Mona Chollet’s new essay which invites us on an introspective journey to understand and eradicate this little critical voice that often eats us from the inside. With her incisive and precise pen, she examines the historical and societal roots of guilt, particularly towards women, children and minorities, and suggests a path to reclaiming one’s self-esteem. A reflection of rare relevance, which combines feminist, sociological and psychological analysis, while placing self-love as a political and intimate revolution. Read to free yourself from “impediments to existing” and find unstoppable strength.
2. Houris (Kamel Daoud)
Prix Goncourt 2024, this moving novel by Kamel Daoud tackles the painful memory of the dark decade in Algeria (1992-2002). Aube, a survivor marked in her body and in her silence, finds the words to pass on her story to her unborn daughter. Through this poetic, often allegorical story, Daoud gives a voice to the thousands of anonymous victims and denounces the oblivion imposed by amnesty laws. Although sometimes considered a little grandiloquent, Houris stands out as a fundamental text, both courageous and necessary, to break the silence on this national tragedy.
3. Well-being (Nathan Hill)
In a captivating fresco, Nathan Hill unfolds the evolution of the couple formed by Elizabeth and Jack, between student dreams in the bohemian Chicago of the 1990s and the disillusionment of a gentrified adult. Their story becomes the pretext to explore universal themes with humor and finesse: love, disillusionment, family, and even the impact of social networks. With skilfully constructed back and forths over time and vivid secondary characters, this novel, although long, never tires. A rich and irresistible work, now essential in the landscape of the great contemporary American novel.
4. Resist (Salomé Saqué)
Short, punchy, and essential. Salomé Saqué deciphers with clarity and rigor the rise of the extreme right in France and elsewhere, while providing concrete keys to countering this threat. With an affordable price (€5), this essay calls for an immediate collective and personal reaction. Based on historical facts and an engaging story, the author reminds us that everyone can act at their own level. This book, more than an essay, is a manifesto for those who refuse to give in to fate.
5. Jacaranda (Gail Faye)
Eight years later Small CountryGaël Faye returns with a powerful novel about the post-genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda. Jacaranda explores the dilemmas of social and family reconstruction through Milan, a young man divided between France and Rwanda. His quest to uncover his family history leads the reader into a whirlwind of emotions and reflections. With poetic and sensitive writing, Gaël Faye addresses silence, intergenerational transmission and reconciliation. A poignant book, where the individual story joins the great History, and which confirms Gaël Faye as one of the major voices in contemporary literature.
