The Son's Story

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.

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'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

A magnificent novel -- Antoine Perraud La Croix
With extraordinary subtlety, the author explores 'the intangible and most ancient familial laws' -- Astrid De Larminat Figaro
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 Garner

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.

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