Anna Gavalda, France’s best-selling female author, has composed a moving tribute to those among us who choose to confront our vulnerabilities and admit our weaknesses.

From the story of a truck driver who reacts to his son’s death with a gesture of awkward kindness to the alcoholic widow who befriends a stranger still haunted by a childhood spent in an emotionally frigid military family, readers will find the full Gavaldian universe on display in these stories of suffering and salvation. Rich in empathy, understanding of everyday struggles, and grace, these tales illustrate the importance of moving beyond the wounds of the past and embracing love, friendship, forgiveness, and family.

Anna Gavalda
Born in Paris in 1970, Anna Gavalda published her first work in 1999 while working as a high school French teacher. Her 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 Penguin in 2003. Gavalda has since published three novels, all of which have become bestsellers across Europe. Her first novel, Someone I Loved, was adapted to film in 2009 and her novel Hunting and Gathering was made into a film starring Audrey Tatou and Daniel Auteil. Gavalda’s novels and short stories have been translated into over forty languages. She lives in Paris.

• Apr 15 2019
  “...a raw and tender ode to the human spirit.”
  — Booklist