Meetings, partings, loves and losses in rural France are dissected with warm compassion, in Emmanuelle Pagano’s wonderful collection of stories. Translated by Sophie Lewis and Jennifer Higgins.

The late wedding guest isn’t your cousin but a drunken chancer. The driver who gives you a lift isn’t going anywhere but off the road. Snow settles on your car in summer and the sequins found between the pages of a borrowed novel will make your fortune. Pagano’s stories weave together the mad, the mysterious and the dispossessed of a rural French community with honesty and humour. A superb, cumulative collection from a unique French voice.

Longlisted
The 2020 International Booker Prize
Published by
Peirene Press
Publication date

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Emmanuelle Pagano

Emmanuelle Pagano

About the Author

Emmanuelle Pagano was born in Rodez, southern France. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
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Sophie Lewis

Sophie Lewis

About the Translator

Sophie Lewis was born in London. She is a writer, editor and translator from French and Portuguese.
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Jennifer Higgins

Jennifer Higgins

About the Translator

Jennifer Higgins was born in Chester, England. She has translated numerous books from French and Italian.
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