This is a short fictionalized account of Ernaux’s affair with a married man, but instead of talking explicitly about the affair itself, she recounts her obsessive thoughts between each encounter.
— Lexi
When a crush doesn't text back, some of us post way too much on Instagram, or craft strongly worded vague tweets. In Annie Ernaux's case, she wrote an entire book about it. Ernaux's prose is angry, sharp enough to cut glass, yet at the center of this novel is a soft, lonely person who just wants to be loved. Ernaux is one of my favorite writers, and this is an excellent place to start for those just now discovering the absolute gift that is her work.
— Peter
She's so real for this.
— Phoenix