“Exquisite.” —The New York Times Book Review
The secret daughter of a French politician and a famous actress drops the startling revelation that will shatter her family in this beguiling debut novel of intrigue and betrayal.
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NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE
“Subtle, beautiful, serious.”—Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!
“A diary and a page-turner and a masterful debut, all at once.”—Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling
“A deeply immersive novel about the ways in which your family may fail you . . . Written in graceful prose carrying clairvoyant insights, its wisdom stayed with me.”—Ling Ma, author of Severance
“A stunning debut, simmering with tension and sensuality. This jewel of a novel examines the in-between spaces in life. . . . A mesmerizing story by an important new voice.”—Crystal Hana Kim, author of If You Leave Me
“Astonishing . . . Sanaë Lemoine is fearless and almost unbearably tender in her exploration of all the ways we both exalt and wound one another.”—Stacey D’Erasmo, author of Wonderland
“An extraordinary, gorgeous novel . . . With exquisite precision and insight, The Margot Affair builds to an unexpected heat.”—Idra Novey, author of Those Who Knew
“Poised, coolly beguiling, and deeply compelling, Lemoine’s debut casts a powerful spell.”—Hermione Hoby, author of Neon in Daylight
“Powerful and affecting . . . truly exceptional.”—Rivka Galchen, author of Little Labors
“Gorgeous... [Lemoine] writes in lush, lyrical prose that perfectly captures the heightened emotion and confusion of being a young woman with a bruised heart and limited experience. Though the book seems to be about an absent father, it’s more about a tricky mother, and about motherhood in general. It asks the ultimate question about this most complicated of relationships: What will a mother do for her child?”—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times (Daily Review) (full review)
“Drumming with tension, The Margot Affair grapples with the complexity of familial love.”—Marie Claire
“[A] perfect mix of literary and entertaining . . . This is one of those books that you didn’t know you needed until you read the first few pages and you go: oh, I’m home.”—LitHub
“Unusual and accomplished . . . Ms. Lemoine’s story moves in intriguing leaps and twists until her real subject is revealed. . . . Using clever anecdotes, nods to French cinema and allusions to Bonjour Tristesse, Françoise Sagan’s classic coming-of-age tale, the novel asks what exactly makes a “good mother.” . . . Good novels can supply insights into other cultures, and, for outsiders, one of this book’s pleasures is the glimpse it affords into French mores and habits. . . . Here she lifts the window slats not just on the covert behavior of consenting adults, but on many facets of bourgeois Parisian life.”—The Economist
“Absorbing... The emotional mapping of the novel is intricate and precise... Lemoine captures with painful accuracy the clumsy ignorance of adolescence.” ― Financial Times
“Deftly crafted, thoughtfully observed, this absorbing coming-of-age novel explores the tense and complex relationship between Anouk and Margot, the notions of family and motherhood, deceit and betrayal.” ― Fanny Blake, Daily Mail
“An engaging examination of youth, age and cruelty. A stimulating and provocative read.” ― Irish Times
“Nous étions si nombreux, nous les enfants de ces doubles vies, à rêver de l'autre camp.”
Août à Paris, sa chaleur écrasante. Margot Louve vient d’avoir 17 ans. Elle est brillante et tous les possibles s’ouvriront à elle bientôt. Mais pour le moment, sa vie lui paraît étriquée. Pire, elle se sent invisible. Dans l’ombre d'une mère, actrice de théâtre en vue cultivant avec elle une distance délibérée et qu’elle rêverait de pouvoir appeler Maman. Fille d’un père dont on ne parle pas, parce qu’il a une autre vie, légitime celle-là. Alors Margot décide de faire craquer les coutures de son monde, de prendre la lumière à son tour. À ce journaliste puissant et respecté qui semble s’intéresser à elle vraiment, elle révèle le secret de sa famille.
L’Affaire Margot est un roman d’apprentissage sensible sur le passage à l’âge adulte. Il explore les détours que prend l’amour entre une mère et sa fille.
« L’affaire Margot dresse un portrait sensible de la complexité de l’amour familial. » —Marie-Claire
« Un premier roman étonnant et captivant, signé d’une autrice qui maîtrise sont art. » —The New York Times
« Révélation. L’un des événements de la rentrée littéraire américaine ! Le premier roman fascinant d’une autrice d’origine française. » —Madame Figaro