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Summary
Summary
"Every note of the characters' correspondence rings true."-- Le Nouvel Observateur
"A page-turning novel with a skilfully woven plot."-- Page des Libraires
"Rich in deftly turned prose and subtle character study."-- Sud-Ouest
"A wonderful book about the archaeology of memory."-- Le Magazine Littéraire
"Elegant, restrained, and poetic."-- France Inter
The three figures in the photograph are frozen forever, two men and a woman bathed in sunlight . . .
The chance discovery of a newspaper image from 1971 sets two people on the path to learning the disturbing truth about their parents' pasts.
Parisian archivist Hélène takes out a newspaper advert calling for information about her mother, who died when she was three, and the two men pictured with her in a photograph taken at a tennis tournament at Interlaken in 1971. Stéphane, a Swiss biologist living in Kent, responds: his father is one of the people in the photo. Letters and more photos pass between them as they embark on a journey to uncover the truth their parents kept from them. But will the relics of the past fill the silences left by the players?
Winner of fifteen literary awards, this dark yet touching drama deftly explores the themes of blame and forgiveness, identity and love.
Hélène Gestern lives and works in Nancy, France. The People in the Photo is her first novel.
Author Notes
Hélène Gestern: Hélène Gestern lives and works in Nancy. The People in the Photo is her first novel.
Emily Boyce: Emily Boyce is in-house translator for Gallic Books. She lives in London.
Ros Schwartz: Ros Schwartz is an award-winning literary translator. She has translated a range of contemporary fiction and non-fiction from authors as diverse as Ousmane Sembène, Sébastien Japrisot, Jacqueline Harpman, Yasmina Khadra and Aziz Chouaki. Her non-fiction work includes articles and books by researchers at Sciences-Po, Paris, film commentaries for the National Film Theatre and art catalogues for a number of European museums. She gives regular seminars at UK universities and had published several articles on literary translation.
Reviews (1)
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* This remarkable debut novel begins with a photo of Parisian archivist Helene's mother, Natasha, taken in 1971, a year before Natasha died. It includes two men Helene has never seen before. She advertises for anyone knowing the identity of either of the men in the photo, and she connects with Stephane, whose father is one of the men. The story develops that Helene was only four when her mother died, and her father and stepmother will tell her nothing about Natasha, not even how she died. Stephane's father became seriously depressed, and his parents' marriage became very bitter after 1971, so he has something at stake in this also. While the mystery surrounding Natasha unfolds, so does the deepening relationship between Helene and Stephane. Told through notes and e-mails between the two, with descriptions of the photos the two uncover that are so vivid as to bring the pictures to life. Winner of more than 15 awards in France, this novel has been translated beautifully into English to thrill another continent.--Dickie, Elizabeth Copyright 2014 Booklist
