Synopses & Reviews
The narrator of
Sans Moi is a working single mother struggling to bring up her two young children. Olivia is a recovering drug addict and onetime prostitute who desperately needs a job. When Olivia—on the face of it a highly unsuitable babysitter—moves in, trailing her chaotic past behind her, their lives collide with unexpected results. In the year they live together, companionship, intimacy, and humor create a friendship full of vitality and mutual respect—as well as something of a family life. Marie Desplechin details this emotional terrain with delicate grace and irony. At once desperate and hopeful, Sans Moi explores the nature of friendship and the complicated dynamics of learning how to love and be loved.
Review
“Modern and fierce. Everyone can recognize themselves in [Desplechins] work. A beautiful novel.”—
Elle (France)
“The detail and acuity of [Desplechins] observation of her characters and their relationship, of their city, the children, their friends shines.” —Justin Bauer, City Paper (Philadelphia)
“Desplechin displays an ear for subtlety in [this] fine debut novel...she treats the material with a light touch thats sympathetic to complexities.” —Publishers Weekly
“A beguiling, triumphant novel, defiant of the gravity of its subject matter.” —James Urquhart, The Independent (London)
Synopsis
The narrator of
Sans Moi is a working single mother struggling to bring up her two young children. Olivia is a recovering drug addict and onetime prostitute who desperately needs a job. When Olivia—on the face of it a highly unsuitable babysitter—moves in, trailing her chaotic past behind her, their lives collide with unexpected results. In the year they live together, companionship, intimacy, and humor create a friendship full of vitality and mutual respect—as well as something of a family life. Marie Desplechin details this emotional terrain with delicate grace and irony. At once desperate and hopeful, Sans Moi explores the nature of friendship and the complicated dynamics of learning how to love and be loved.
About the Author
Marie Desplechin was born in northern France. She is the author of a short story collection,
Trop Sensibles, and a childrens novel.