
The Son's Story
The captivating new novel by the award-winning French author
Marie-Helene Lafon(Author)
Mountain Leopard Press
Published on 26. September 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-0354-2023-0 (ISBN)
Description
WINNER OF THE PRIX RENAUDOT
'This took my breath away, again and again. Lafon is magic ... A thrilling read in Stephanie Smee's masterful translation' Anna Funder, Sunday Times bestselling author of Wifedom
'A work of the purest literary quality: muscular and densely packed, yet graceful in all its movements, and glowing with brilliant detail' Helen Garner, author of This House of Grief
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This is the story of a family and the secret that lies at its heart. Andre is the son, raised by his aunt in the French countryside. His mother Gabrielle, beautiful but distant, lives in Paris. Surrounded by his cousins, far from the noise of the city, Andre's childhood is a happy one. No-one questions the absence of his mother, or dares voice the name of his father.
But beneath the quiet joy of the everyday lies a tragedy, passed down through the generations. Over time, the truth will come to the surface, whether the son desires it or not.
________________________________________________________________
'An exquisite and mesmerising work of genius ... Lafon is a name that should be known by readers everywhere' Sarah Holland-Batt
'A magnificent novel' La Croix
'[Lafon] breathes life into language . . . pure and rich' Le Monde
'Captivating and heartbreaking from beginning to end' Le Figaro Magazine
'Beautiful prose . . . a rich and melancholy enchantment' Sydney Morning Herald
'This took my breath away, again and again. Lafon is magic ... A thrilling read in Stephanie Smee's masterful translation' Anna Funder, Sunday Times bestselling author of Wifedom
'A work of the purest literary quality: muscular and densely packed, yet graceful in all its movements, and glowing with brilliant detail' Helen Garner, author of This House of Grief
________________________________________________________________
This is the story of a family and the secret that lies at its heart. Andre is the son, raised by his aunt in the French countryside. His mother Gabrielle, beautiful but distant, lives in Paris. Surrounded by his cousins, far from the noise of the city, Andre's childhood is a happy one. No-one questions the absence of his mother, or dares voice the name of his father.
But beneath the quiet joy of the everyday lies a tragedy, passed down through the generations. Over time, the truth will come to the surface, whether the son desires it or not.
________________________________________________________________
'An exquisite and mesmerising work of genius ... Lafon is a name that should be known by readers everywhere' Sarah Holland-Batt
'A magnificent novel' La Croix
'[Lafon] breathes life into language . . . pure and rich' Le Monde
'Captivating and heartbreaking from beginning to end' Le Figaro Magazine
'Beautiful prose . . . a rich and melancholy enchantment' Sydney Morning Herald
Reviews / Votes
A magnificent novel -- Antoine Perraud * La Croix * With extraordinary subtlety, the author explores 'the intangible and most ancient familial laws' -- Astrid De Larminat * Figaro * Beautiful prose . . . a rich and melancholy enchantment * Sydney Morning Herald * An exquisite and mesmerising work of genius. Intimate in scale and charged with intense lyricism, Lafon's novel takes in the aftershocks of war, the silences and secrets held in tension across the generations, and the griefs and losses that accompany a coming of age -- Sarah Holland-Batt This took my breath away, again and again. Lafon is magic ... A thrilling read in Stephanie Smee's masterful translation -- Anna Funder A work of the purest literary quality: muscular and densely packed, yet graceful in all its movements, and glowing with brilliant detail -- Helen GarnerMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 129 mm
Width: 198 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
120 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0354-2023-0 (9781035420230)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2024
Mountain Leopard Press
€2.99
Available for download
Person
Originally from the Cantal, Marie-Helene Lafon is a classics professor in Paris. Histoire du Fils, (The Son's Story) was the winner of the Prix Renaudot 2020.