Summer is the perfect time to catch up on your literary studies. “Triste tigre” by Neige Sinno, “Veiller sur elle” by Jean-Baptiste Andrea… Here are the best recently awarded novels to dive into this summer.
“Sad Tiger”, by Neige Sinno
If there is one book to take with you, it is “Triste tigre” by Neige Sinno (published by POL), which won the Prix Femina and the Prix Goncourt des lycéens. Originally from the Hautes-Alpes, the writer tells the story of a little girl raped several times between the ages of 7 and 14 by her stepfather. And this little girl is her. In this moving book, Neige Sinno takes the reader into her head. She analyzes her trauma, her relationship with her rapist, who was sentenced to nine years in prison, and reflects on the consequences on her life, as well as the power and powerlessness of literature. In less than 300 pages, Neige Sinno, a 46-year-old mother, attempts to shatter preconceived ideas about rape, and to literally detonate what she calls her “little bomb”.
“Sad Tiger”, Neige Sinno, ed. POL
“Watching Over Her” by Jean-Baptiste Andrea
The last Goncourt Prize, the most prestigious French literary award, was awarded to Jean-Baptiste Andrea for “Veiller sur elle” (ed. L’Iconoclaste). In this book, also awarded the Fnac novel prize, the author reconnects with his Italian roots and draws his inspiration from painting, music and sculpture. It features Michelangelo and Viola, two people who should never have met. This novel tells their story of love and friendship. That of a young boy suffering from a form of dwarfism, born poor, who finds himself an apprentice in the sculpture workshop of an alcoholic uncle, and of a young girl who is the heiress of a powerful family. Linked by an unwavering attraction, they swear to always stay together, until the day Italy falls into fascism.
“Watch over her”, Jean-Baptiste Andrea, ed. The Iconoclast.
“The Insolent Ones” by Ann Scott
The Renaudot prize was awarded to Ann Scott for her novel “Les insolents” (ed. Calmann-Lévy). The book follows Alex, a film music composer who decides to leave Paris to realize her dream: to live elsewhere and alone. Aged 45 and living in the middle of nowhere, she will have to reinvent herself. In this 280-page work, Anne Scott, a former model in London and drummer in a punk band, offers a beautiful reflection on solitude and friendship. She also questions with great finesse the absurdity of our contemporary society, the passing of time, and disappointed dreams. A book to put particularly in the hands of people in their forties and fifties.
“The Insolents”, by Ann Scott, Calmann-Lévy ed.
“A way of loving”, by Dominique Barbéris
You may have missed the book by Dominique Barbéris, “A way of loving” (ed. Gallimard), winner of the Grand Prix du roman of the French Academy. If so, you can put it in your suitcase. This delicate and melancholic work evokes the strength of our secret desires and the grace of certain encounters. The 65-year-old writer, who was born in Douala, paints the portrait of Madeleine, a discreet and reserved Breton from the 1950s, who will follow her husband to Cameroon. There, one evening, during a ball at the Delegation, Madeleine will catch the eye of Yves Prigent and fall under the spell of this attractive and respected man, half-administrator, half-adventurer. Punctuated by several pieces of music, from Jacques Brel to Dalida, “A way of loving” tells the story of this budding love, at the time of the colonies, and which marked his life.
“A Way of Loving,” Dominique Barbéris, Gallimard ed.
