First published 2014
Nicolas Duhamel relaxes at a Tuscan resort, believing he has finally escaped his troubled history. The bestselling novelist discovered a devastating family secret at twenty-four that sent him searching from the Basque coast to St. Petersburg. That painful journey unexpectedly launched his writing career when he transformed his discoveries into a phenomenally successful novel. Literary fame convinced Nicolas he had left his family's dark past behind. Years later, however, the buried truths refuse to stay hidden. Nicolas must confront everything he thought he understood about his identity and his family's history. The secrets that once propelled his success now threaten to unravel the life he has built. De Rosnay weaves a story about how the past shapes writers and how family mysteries echo across generations.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Basque Coast, St. Petersburg, Tuscany
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
307 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press