- “An
- ambiguous
- relationship
- is
- turned
- inside
- out
- in
- this
- intensely
- vivid
- novel
- .
- .
- .
- Kerninon’s
- novel
- charms
- and
- unsettles
- to
- an
- equal
- degree.”
- —Kirkus
- ReviewsWinner
- of
- the
- 2018
- Fénéon
- Literary
- PrizeHelen
- and
- Franck,
- both
- born
- into
- high-ranking
- diplomatic
- families,
- meet
- in
- Rome
- as
- high-school
- students
- and
- immediately
- detect
- in
- each
- other
- the
- wounded
- child
- hidden
- beneath
- their
- gilded
- social
- status.
- Their
- relationship
- becomes
- a
- dangerous,
- explosive
- mix
- of
- love
- and
- friendship.Immediately
- after
- Helen’s
- graduation,
- they
- leave
- their
- past
- and
- family
- behind
- to
- move
- in
- together
- in
- her
- apartment
- in
- Amsterdam.
- While
- Helen
- immerses
- herself
- in
- her
- studies
- and
- embarks
- on
- a
- promising
- academic
- career,
- Frank,
- after
- a
- few
- difficult
- years,
- makes
- a
- spectacular
- debut
- on
- the
- Dutch
- Art
- scene
- with
- his
- first
- paintings.
- Helen
- remains
- faithfully
- by
- his
- side
- during
- his
- rise
- to
- fame,
- overseeing
- the
- domestic
- details
- of
- his
- life
- in
- apparent
- total
- self-abnegation.Are
- introverted
- Helen
- and
- flamboyant
- Franck
- who
- they
- really
- appear
- to
- be?
- Are
- they
- victims
- or
- monsters?
- Kerninon’s
- English
- language
- debut,
- full
- of
- masterfully
- orchestrated
- twists
- and
- turns,
- leaves
- these
- simple
- distinctions
- behind,
- and
- progresses
- into
- far
- more
- fascinating
- terrain.“Julia
- Kerninon
- offers
- up
- a
- hypersensitive
- novel,
- with
- chiseled
- sentences
- and
- a
- melancholy
- tone.
- I
- adored
- this
- uncommon
- love.”
- —Elle“Complex
- and
- evocative
- .
- .
- .
- [A]
- portrait
- of
- the
- inequalities
- inherent
- in
- each
- relationship,
- and
- the
- emotional
- burden
- that
- is
- often
- placed
- on
- women
- in
- order
- to
- keep
- these
- relationships
- afloat.”
- —Châtelaine“Kerninon’s
- perceptive
- unfolding
- of
- Helen’s
- pains
- in
- elegant
- prose
- makes
- for
- a
- poignant
- portrait
- of
- buried
- frustrations.
- Readers
- looking
- for
- a
- slow
- burn
- will
- enjoy
- this
- tragic
- novel.”
- —Publishers Weekly
pro-mbooks3 : libris
