Sleeping Children, by Anthony Passeron (Pan Macmillan)
Translated by Frank Wynne
“Without ever raising your voice, you have shattered the family silence that scabbed over tragedy and produced a work so powerful, so moving that it lingers long after reading. Magnificent!” – Annie Ernaux, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
A powerful blend of memoir and reportage, this novel revisits the AIDS crisis through the lens of a French family’s private tragedy, exploring silence, stigma, and remembrance.
There’s a Monster Behind the Door, by Gaëlle Bélem (Bullaun Press)
Translated by Karen Fleetwood & Laëtitia Saint-Loubert
Set in 1990s Réunion Island, this darkly comic debut follows a rebellious teenager haunted by family secrets, superstition, and a monstrous metaphor lurking in her home.
Change: A Novel, by Édouard Louis (Penguin Books)
Translated by John Lambert
“One of the most important, politically vital and morally bracing writers of his generation” – Keiran Goddard, Guardian
A deeply autobiographical novel tracing the author’s transformation from a working-class child in northern France to an acclaimed writer navigating sexuality, shame, and class.
The Son’s Story, by Marie-Hélène Lafon (Mountain Leopard Press)
Translated by Stephanie Smee
Winner of the prix Renaudot, The Son’s Story is a delicate and layered family portrait that explores inheritance, estrangement, and the quiet tragedies of rural life in France.
Friends and Lovers, by Nolwenn Le Blevennec (Peirene Press)
Translated by Madeleine Rogers
A witty and unflinching look at modern relationships and desire, where a woman juggles two lovers, motherhood, and the weight of emotional honesty.
Zombie Proust, by Jérôme Prieur (Les Fugitives)
Translated by Nancy Kline
A surreal and satirical homage to Marcel Proust, this novella playfully reanimates the author as a zombie reflecting on modern literary culture, memory, and decay.
Just a Little Dinner, by Cécile Tlili (Foundry Editions)
Translated by Katherine Gregor
“Full of soul, with characters who are real, relatable and flawed. I loved Just a Little Dinner.” Ceci Browning, The Times
A biting social comedy that unfolds over a tense dinner party, exposing the undercurrents of class, race, and resentment simmering beneath polite conversation.
Vintage 1954, by Antoine Laurain (Pushkin Press)
Translated by Jane Aitken & Emily Boyce
“The very quintessence of French romance” – The Times
A charming and quirky time-travel story set in Paris, where a group of neighbours find themselves transported to 1954 after drinking a mysterious bottle of vintage wine.
Lili is Crying, by Hélène Bessette (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
Translated by Kate Briggs
This forgotten gem of French literature, recently rediscovered, challenges narrative conventions with its bold prose and haunting depiction of a woman’s inner life and resistance.
