A first group of jurors read the first selection established by us. Seven others will follow, of which eight finalists will emerge in each category, which our one hundred and twenty hand-picked jurors will read, judge and rate. For now, let’s rejoice that “Proper”, a formidable Chilean novel, harsh and uncompromising, has made it to the final. More gentleness in non-fiction: “So it’s good”, the book tribute by the writer and artist Clémentine Mélois to her father, moved, touched, carried away. The enthusiasm is deserved. Finally, on the police side, the Croatian Jurica Pavicic reveals the other side of the seaside and makes the coastal town of Split the scene of a sordid crime and vital cases of conscience. A return to school with a bang.
Also read >>> What to read this week? Olivia de Lamberterie’s 3 favorites
Fiction
“It is an impossible novel to put down, which takes us into the thoughts and memories of Estela who spent seven years behind closed doors in the service of a family: “Sir”, “Madame” and “the little one”. The little one is dead, we know it straight away. And alone in an empty room, Estela recounts her daily life as a maid of all trades, fed, housed, treated well, yes, but… The thousands of paths, the solitude, the reality that sometimes wavers, the things that only exist because that we can name them, the indifference between people who live under the same roof… In the memories, the digressions, the harshness of constantly renewed tasks, something universal is said. Page after page, a virtuoso suspense grips the reader. We want to know. Extraordinary. » Sophie Delaporte
“Proper”, by Alia Trabucco Zerán, translated from Spanish by Anne Plantagenet (Robert Laffont, 271 p.).
Non Fiction
“The author immerses us in the story of her family confronted with the illness of the father and who, when she realizes that the end is approaching, chooses to accompany him by adding humor and color. The father himself participates in the preparations, makes plans for his grave, asks for an enameled cross to be placed there, chooses his outfit and the objects that will follow him in the coffin. The more the illness gets worse, the more the family tries to color the time that remains. The coffin is painted blue, the walker, red. The practice of humor is essential to face fear. When the end comes, the memories remain which populate the dreams. And as the author says: “The people you love are not dead, they have passed away and with a thought, we are still close to them.” » Sylvia Ludvig
“So it’s good”, by Clémentine Mélois (Gallimard, 202 p.).
Policeman
“We are in Split, far from the postcard image of this seaside town. A young girl, Viktorija, is found dead in an abandoned factory. In this detective novel, the plot takes a back seat in favor of an analysis of the shock wave caused by this tragedy, and the reader is invited to ask themselves the question of the weight of blood ties. For Zvone, the investigator, Ines, who is content with a cheap life, and Katja, who, every morning, goes to pray to the Virgin of the Seven Sorrows and knows that sons are a curse for mothers, the Viktorija’s death acts as a painful revelation. We close this book with the smell of fried eggs and pancetta, the feeling of having traveled and this nagging question: “What would I have done in their place?” » Sophie Delaporte
“Mater Dolorosa”, by Jurica Pavicic, translated from Croatian by Olivier Lannuzel (Agullo, 396 p.).
This month, our jurors read in the Fiction category: “Proper”, by Alia Trabucco Zeran (Robert Laffont), “Martyr! », by Kaveh Akbar (Scribes) and “Missed Love”, by Susie Boyt (La Croisée). In the Non Fiction category: “So it’s good”, by Clémentine Mélois (L’Arbalète Gallimard), “Night is added to the night”, by Ananda Devi (Stock). In the Thriller category: “Le Murmure des Hakapiks”, by Roxanne Bouchard (L’Aube) and “Mater Dolorosa”, by Jurico Povicic (Agullo).
