Does Pierre Lemaitre manage to convince with “A Radiant Future”?

The novelist is back in bookstores this January 21 with his new book, a sequel to the novel The big world et Silence and anger.

Each new release by Pierre Lemaitre is an event in itself. The author, 2013 Goncourt prize for the flamboyant Goodbye up there is back in this 2025 literary season with the book A bright futurewhich continues the themes covered in his previous novels, The big world (2022) as well as Silence and anger (2023).

With A bright futurePierre Lemaitre thus concludes his trilogy devoted to the glorious years, based on the Pelletier family after the War. A humanist and complex fresco, which continues the work covered during the writer's previous trilogy, Children of disasterincluding Goodbye up there (2013), Colors of fire (2018) et Mirror of our sorrows (2020), and this time taking place during World War II.

A bright future takes place during the Cold War, and mixes drama with espionage, from Paris to Prague. Available this January 21, 2025 from Calmann-Levy editions, the novel continues the exploration of the 20th century according to Pierre Lemaitre.

What do the first reviews say?

The first reviews speak of a particularly dense work, capable of dealing with several fundamental subjects of the period. For France Infothe novel “points out this paradox of a 'bright future' promised at the dawn of the 1960s, but which, in reality, has given rise to the greatest misfortunes of our contemporary world.”

Telerama highlights the writer's ability “to draw from all literary genres”et L’Express speaks of a “neat work”deliberately referring to the very first book published by Pierre Lemaitre in 2006.

And A bright future is at the center of current affairs, the first part of the trilogy, The big worldcould also cause a sensation in the days to come.

A comic strip adaptation will, in fact, be released on January 22, 2025 by Rue de Sèvres, written and drawn by Christian De Metter — who had already adapted several books by Pierre Lemaitre — allowing a new audience to discover the beginning of this trilogy about the glorious years.