French leave

A bestselling novel in Europe with over half a million copies sold, published in over twenty-six languages, Anna Gavalda's French Leave is a charming adventure that tells the story of four siblings in search of the happiness they knew as children and the bonds that once united them.

Simon, Garance and Lola flee a dull family wedding (and Simon's uptight and judgemental wife) to visit their younger brother, Vincent, who is working as a guide at a chateau in the heart of the enchanting Tours countryside. For a few hours, they forget about kids, spouses, work, and the many demands adulthood makes upon them and lose themselves in a day of laughter, teasing, and memories. As simply and as spontaneously as the adventure began, it ends. All four return to their everyday lives,carrying with them the magic of their brief reunion. They are stronger now, and happier, for having rediscovered the ties that bind them.

Lighthearted, tender and funny, a parable on escaping the past to find the future, French Leave is a tribute to sibling relationships, local Loire wines, and the art of being together.

Born in Paris in 1970, Anna Gavalda's first published work was the critically acclaimed collection of short stories I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere, which sold over half a million copies in her native France and was published in the US by Riverhead in 2003. She is also the author of Someone I Loved and the international bestseller Hunting and Gathering (Riverhead, 2007), which was made into a film starring Audrey Tautou and Daniel Auteuil. Gavalda lives in Paris. 

144 pages

Original title: L'échappée belle