Back in bookstores with Prime-time, his new gripping thriller published on October 30, 2024 by Albin Michel editions, Maxime Chattam confides in the fundamental place of his wife, Faustine Bollaert, in his life.
With his new novel Prime-time, Maxime Chattam immerses its readers behind the tense scenes of a live television news show, where a star presenter is taken hostage before the eyes of millions of viewers. This plot, new for the writer, brings him closer to the world of his wife, a host and well-known personality in the French audiovisual landscape. However, he reveals that this choice of framework was not easy, in particular for fear of seeing his wife, Faustine Bollaert, indirectly associated with his work.
“I've wanted to do a book set in the world of TV for a very long time and I've stopped myself from doing so for a very simple reason. I feared for a long time that through my words and what I was going to say, people would judge my wife. he confides during an exclusive interview granted to Télé-Loisirs. “If one day she has something to say on TV, she's grown up and she'll do it herself. She doesn't need me,” adds the novelist. Finally, he took the risk and allowed himself to explore his partner's world.
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Faustine Bollaert: a source of support and balance
As a result, Faustine Bollaert was able to help Maxime Chattam throughout the creation of this novel. “It was a real help,” he readily admits. In the first pages of the novel, Chattam dedicates his work to Faustine: “To my wife, who makes my world a better place.” He explains this touching statement by specifying the transformative role it played in his life: “Because she taught me to no longer live solely through my books and that was my big life problem,” he explains with a laugh Télé-Loisirs.
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“I have spent more than forty years living through fiction, which I write to protect myself somewhere, because in my books I have control over my emotions. And Faustine who is a woman of emotions precisely, who is anchored in reality and who is the complete opposite of me, little by little, she taught me to anchor myself more in reality, to accept of not having control, of feeling”, he elaborates.
A grateful declaration of love
At 48, Maxime Chattam attributes a large part of his personal development to his relationship with Faustine Bollaert, a relationship which pushed him to evolve as a man. “So I show him my love, my admiration and my thanks, because it’s a bit of all that at the same time.” For him, Prime-time would simply not have been born without Faustine Bollaert by his side.
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“I wouldn’t be the man I am today at 48 if she wasn’t in my life.” To conclude, Maxime Chattam delivers a final thought, full of tenderness and humility: “She made me better, I’m aware of that, and it’s the least I can say.” A very pretty declaration of love!
Passionate about women's news, Agathe has been deciphering the latest trends for aufeminin since 2022. Her favorite areas? Psychology, nutrition and well-being advice, without forgetting the tips…
