The new novels of the stars of French literature

David Foenkinos by ©Francesca Mantovan ®Gallimard, Leïla Slimani by Francesca Mantovani (c) Editions Gallimard and Joël Dicker by ©Cyrille George Jerusalmi

The birds are singing, the days are getting longer: a spring breeze is in the air! We take advantage of the first warmth of the sun to devour (finally) the star authors of this beginning of the year. Un avenir radieux by Pierre Lemaitre, J’emporterai le feu by Leïla Slimani, La très catastrophique visite du zoo by Joël Dicker… The literary gems of the moment, it's happening right here!

The good book: J’emporterai le feu by Leïla Slimani

The pitch. In previous episodes… The first volume is set between the years 1946 and 1956 and retraces the destiny of Mathilde, a young Alsatian newly settled in Rabat, trying to find her path to emancipation. The second volume takes place twelve years later and focuses on the next generation, Aïcha and Selim, the children of Mathilde and Amine. J’emporterai le feu is the story of the third generation of the Belhaj family.

Mia and Inès were born in the 1980s. Like their grandmother Mathilde, their mother Aïcha, or even their aunt Selma, they seek to be free, in exile or in solitude, despite prejudices and racism. As the World is changing, the young girls take us from Casablanca to Paris, from London to New York, in a masterful novel intertwining their story with major international events (the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 1998 World Cup, September 11, 2001, the war in Iraq) or Moroccan ones (in a country evolving between modernity and conservatism, between moral tightening and economic crisis). Because that is the true talent of Leïla Slimani: she writes history!

Why will you love it? For more than ten years now, Leïla Slimani has been producing successful novels and winning literary awards, from the Grand prix de l'héroïne for Le pays des autres, the Prix de Flore for Dans le jardin de l'ogre, to the Prix Goncourt for Chanson douce. With her trilogy Le pays des autres, which J’emporterai le feu concludes, the writer steps out of her comfort zone: goodbye to the Parisian bourgeoisie and closed-space drama, she changes horizon and discreetly pays tribute to her grandparents, whose story loosely inspires the novel. With her sharp pen, she paints a portrait of characters with rare psychological depth and thus creates a vast family saga, bringing an era and its people to life with accuracy. In short, it's no secret anymore: Leïla Slimani possesses an extraordinary storytelling talent.

The good book: Un avenir radieux by Pierre Lemaitre

The pitch. We happily reunite with the three Pelletier children: Jean, François, and Hélène. We worry about the health of the patriarch Louis, who is declining, though no one wants to say goodbye. We find little Colette, daughter of Jean and the odious Geneviève, just 10 years old and already holding a terrible secret, and her brother Philippe, the spoiled son of their mother, an expert in psychological torment.

We follow François, who finds himself at the heart of an espionage novel à la John Le Carré: in the middle of the Cold War in Czechoslovakia, trying to extract a spy working for France who is in a bad situation. We glimpse Hélène, a nighttime radio host giving voice to listeners, achieving great success. A family saga (a real one!) and above all, one last journey before saying farewell to the Pelletier family.

Why will you love it? Au revoir là-haut, Robe de marié, Couleurs de l’incendie… With about twenty novels to his name, including numerous social thrillers and noir novels, Pierre Lemaitre needs no introduction. With his trilogy Les années glorieuses, he offers a thrilling and exhilarating dive into the Trente Glorieuses. There was, of course, Le Grand Monde, where we first met the Pelletier family, Le Silence et la Colère, where we followed their adventures across the world, and finally Un avenir radieux, which concludes this brilliant trilogy. The author intertwines personal destinies with great History, blending narrative drive with historical facts, proving himself a true genius of character development!

The good book: La Très Catastrophique visite du zoo by Joël Dicker

The pitch. What happened during this catastrophic zoo visit? Why did this "special" school close its doors afterward? Joséphine, a student in this class, narrates this strange story. Accompanied by five friends – Artie the hypochondriac, Thomas the karateka, Otto the child of divorced parents, Yoshi who never speaks, Giovanni and his grandmother, an unconditional fan of detective series – they investigate, determined to uncover the truth.

Why will you love it? Since last year and the release of Un animal sauvage, Joël Dicker has shelved his beloved character Marcus Goldman and the United States. Now, Switzerland serves as the backdrop for all his thrillers. With La Très Catastrophique visite du zoo, the writer swaps a sober pen for an apparently childlike simplicity, delivering a rather surprising detective novel. His mission? Achieve the feat of getting all generations to read, because this novel can be placed in any hands, or at least those of readers "from 7 to 120 years old." A true Christmas tale: short chapters, a fast-paced story, a well-crafted plot—young readers will be captivated by Joséphine’s investigation, while older ones will recognize themselves in these overwhelmed parents. A guaranteed return to childhood!

The good book: Tout le monde aime Clara by David Foenkinos

The pitch. Surprisingly, this story is not about Clara, but rather about Éric Duprez, a failed writer whose novel, published in the 1980s, quickly disappeared from the face of the earth. Today, he only has his writing workshop, which he passionately runs to help aspiring writers find inspiration. A workshop where Alexis Koskas, Clara’s father, enrolls after his daughter's accident. The latter is in a coma, a trauma whose outcome doctors cannot predict.

Why will you love it? It was with La Délicatesse, which won nearly ten awards upon its release in 2009, that David Foenkinos gained worldwide recognition. With Charlotte, Vers la beauté, Le mystère Henri Pick, Numéro deux, or more recently La vie heureuse, his fame keeps growing. Now, in Tout le monde aime Clara, the author weaves the fate of fabulous characters, telling three timeless stories that only come together at the very end. With his delicate pen, David Foenkinos explores destiny, life’s invisible lines, coincidences, love, disappointments, breakups, the passage of time, the meaning of life, and spirituality.

Also discover the best thrillers to devour and the must-read books of the latest literary season.