French Leave
Published by: Europa Editions
Published on: April 2011
Page Count: 144
Genre: Fiction
My Reading Format: ARC sent to me by the publisher for consideration
Available Formats: Paperback
Background
I am the oldest of five children. My next closest sibling is my brother Rob, who is 4 years younger than me. My sisters are as follows: Donielle is 5 years younger, Meridith is 10 years younger, and LeeAnn is 13 years younger. Growing up, my relationship with Rob and Donielle was sometimes friendly, sometimes antagonistic. Meridith and LeeAnn were just little kids I babysat or “paid” to clean out my car (I always found a way to get that money back. Okay, I’ll admit to it. I stole it back). It wasn’t until I went away to college that my relationship with Rob and Donielle became what I would consider friendship. As Meridith and LeeAnn grew up into adulthood, I was living in Virginia. Still, we found a way to forge a relationship as adult siblings. Today, all but the youngest is married and has children. Our lives have changed yet again, but my siblings still mean the world to me.
My Review
In French Leave, Simon, Garance and Lola, three adult siblings, spontaneously leave their mother and Simon’s overbearing and mysophobic wife at a mind-numbing family wedding, opting instead to escape the boredom and meet up with Vincent, their brother who couldn’t or, more accurately, wouldn’t make it to the wedding. They drive to the château where Vincent lives and works as a guide. While their, they get back in touch with themselves as a unit, a group of adults who grew up together as children.
When I saw French Leave by Anna Gavalda in Europa Editions’ catalog, I knew immediately it was the book for me. Gavalda’s novela celebrates the joy of siblings and the changes in sibling relationships once in-laws enter the picture. When my ARC arrived in the mail, I began it immediately and loved it even more than I had anticipated. I completely understand how foreign an in-law can feel within the confines of a family of origin. My experiences are not nearly as severe as Garance’s, but enough so that I was present with her on that long car ride to the wedding. I could feel her simultaneously wanting to please Carine for Simon’s sake and get under her skin because she is so infuriating. I could also sense the tension in Simon’s body as he tries to keep both his wife and his sister happy. It’s such a difficult place to be. You don’t want to be confronted with how much you’ve changed since you’ve gotten married. At the same time, you have to live with your spouse. While Simon and Garance were the characters I felt the most attracted to, I know how horrible that ride was for Carine. It’s intimidating to be an outsider when you know that there is so much history you can never share. She only made it worse for herself when she chose a condescending tack with Garance. All of that emotion, friction and frustration was all there in that car. You could reach out and touch how awkward it was.
Anyone who has longed for a vacation alone with their siblings will especially love the section of the book where all four siblings are together. They reminiscing about their childhood, which wasn’t all a bed of roses, and spoke of their dreams. While so much has changed in each of their lives, they are still able to find their way back to that time and place where collectively they were each other’s world. Being together made it safe to think about their lives now and ponder the future, like recharging a battery. It was lovely.
What surprised me the most about French Leave was the humor. Garance and Vincent keep me smiling all the way through. Anna Gavalda is a French author and this book was translated into English by Alison Anderson. I have found that humor doesn’t always translate well, so I hadn’t been hoping for it at all. With French Leave, I didn’t feel at all that reading the book in English put me at a disadvantage. Anderson clearly understood Gavalda’s story when she translated it.
It is always gratifying when a book that jumps out at me lives up to its promise and more. French Leave was just such a read for me. It was an opportunity to bask in the pleasure that siblings can bring. It made me thankful to have strong relationships with my brother and sisters because I know that an experience like Simon, Garance, Vincent and Lola is a possibility for us. Gavalda’s illustration of adult sibling relationships could not be more perfect. French Leave is 144 pages of sunshine that left me content and happy to be alive and, most of all, to be a sister.
This sounds really good! My sister and I have actually traveled together and it is so much fun.
This is going on my list! I love books/movies about sibilngs. My sister is two years younger than me and we are best friends. Our little brother is 12 years younger so our relationship is really different because he’s more like my kid to us – someone we’ve watched grow up and want to spoil and protect from everything. My sister and I went through an awkward stage when she became engaged because suddenly it was me with the extended family and her off at her fiance’s side trying to bond with all of them. Merging of families can be quite tricky.
You know, it’s not often that a sibling relationships is presented as close. Of course, they’re all fraught with their own complexities, but still. Many family sagas I read have bitter siblings and that sort of thing.
My brother and sister (younger by 2 and 5 years, respectively) are very close, just in different ways. I love them both so much and am glad we share a friendship as well as a familial title.
I hadn’t heard of this book, but it sounds like one I’d enjoy. Thanks.
It’s great when a book that short can be so entertaining. Sibling relationships sure do cover a lot of ground as far as good source material for a book.
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[...] French Leave is a marvelous and moving look at the relationships of adult siblings. Anna Gavalda wrote her story with compassion, honesty and, most importantly, humor. I laughed out loud within the first few pages, which surprised me. In the end, I loved every minute I spent with the Simon, Garance, Vincent and Lola. A loving sibling relationship that spans into adulthood is very refreshing. You enjoy it, too. I highly recommend it. [...]