JANUARY 2013 - AudioFile
Upon the death of her mother and the arrival of the ensuing condolence cards, Camille begins receiving strange letters from a correspondent she cannot trace, one who is telling her about his childhood love, Annie. Before long, it becomes apparent that something in this story is Camille’s story as well. The story is set during an exceedingly emotional time in Camille’s life, and narrator Ellen Archer makes that clear without being overdramatic. It is this simple and realistic display of emotion that helps the listener completely invest in Gremillon’s story of family, desire, and identity. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
Set in Paris in 1975, Gremillon’s absorbing debut begins when Camille Werner receives a long, unsigned, handwritten letter among the condolence notes after her mother’s death. Already in a state of shock, both from the unexpected death and from breaking up with her boyfriend after his casual mention of not wanting children when Camille told him she was pregnant, Camille becomes fascinated with the correspondent’s tale of a budding romance between two teenage friends, Annie and Louis, in a small town on the cusp of WWII. Camille becomes convinced that it is this Louis who wrote to her, though she assumes her receipt of the missives is a mistake. In subsequent letters (which are differentiated from Camille’s narrative by the use of fonts), Louis spins his tale of a love that became doomed when Annie was befriended by a young, wealthy, and unhappy Parisian couple. As a book editor, Camille wonders if Louis (who never signs the letters) is trying to wangle a publishing contract. But when he reveals that Annie has a daughter born around the time of Camille’s own birth, Camille becomes obsessed with locating Louis and getting the whole story behind his letters. Finely written, unabashedly romantic, and full of twists, this novel will grip readers until the end. Agent: Rebecca Byers, Plon-Perrin Presses de la Renaissance. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
The Confidant is an impressive blend of historical precision, high suspense and sharp-sighted psychological truths. A gorgeous, captivating novel with brilliant storytelling. It’s a novel that will stay with me.” — Amanda Hodgkinson, New York Times bestselling author of 22 Britannia Road
“Captivating and haunting, the passion and heartache absolutely leap off the page in Hélène Grémillon’s The Confidant . The first thing you’ll want to do after finishing, is to flip to the first chapter and start reading it all over again, combing for overlooked clues.” — Sarah Jio, author of Blackberry Winter and The Violets of March
“Succumb to a very French story and allow yourself to be seduced by Hélène Grémillon’s serpentine tale of wartime passion and revenge. As the past intensifies its grip on a young woman’s present, shifting perspectives exert an irresistible pull. Direct, unsettling and atmospheric.” — Deborah Lawrenson, author of The Lantern
“Helene Gremillon tells her heartrending tale of human frailty, cruelty and love in prose of subtle elegance, and her flawed, fascinating characters stayed with me long after I’d finished the book. This is poised and beautiful storytelling.” — Margaret Leroy, author of The Soldier's Wife
“The Confidant is a must read for anyone who loves intrigue. It will keep you guessing until the very last page - beautifully written, original and thoroughly engaging.” — Sandra Smith, translator of Suite Française
“A beautiful, intricate book, The Confidant is held together with delicate threads and secrets. I scarcely know how to review it without inadvertently giving one away. It’s a story of enduring emotions—love, jealousy, revenge—and the lengths that we will go to in their name. A love story, a thriller, a war novel, The Confidant is hard to put down. And, when you do, you’ll want to flip back to the beginning and read again to see what clues you may have missed the first time. This gripping little story with its flawed, yet memorable characters is highly recommended.” An Editor's Choice pick, February 2013
— Historical Novels Review
"Hélène Grémillon takes us to the heart of a family secret. We witness undeclared love, hidden hatreds, and revenge with terrible consequences. She writes of two periods in time in two voices. And we are twice as caught up in this book which truly touches our hearts." — ELLE (France)
"The reader is literally riveted to this story, both thriller and historical account. The text has accents of maturity, a stunning mastery of narration, a sense of suspense worthy of a top-notch film. A gripping first novel." — Le Figaro Litteraire
"Hélène Grémillon: remember this name! Scrupulously written, with fine and harmonious phrasing that renders the heroines' voices perfectly." — Le Point
"Hélène Grémillon's talent bursts forth in this first novel, as much for the style as the historical details and the suspense that persists up to the very last paragraph. As for the main characters... they are all complex, unpredictable and above all charismatic." — Le Nouvel Observateur
“This most assured first novel is structured like a series of matryoshka dolls; as we start reading, stories within stories are revealed until we are finally faced with the gem at the centre. Grémillon’s conclusion to what is both mystery story and romance is an absolute crackerjack.” — The Saturday Age (Australia)
“Sensitively written, it is a suspenseful, absorbing tale about the power of history and how it plays on the present.” — Herald on Sunday (Australia)
“A truly compelling read.” — Grazia (Australia)
“A novel about the complicity between history with a small ‘h’ — the characters’ stories—and History with a capital ‘H.’ As in Bernard Schlink’s The Reader, nothing is more moving than to witness characters as castaways shipwrecked by History.” — BSC News (France)
“Step back in time with this intriguing French mystery... Grémillon expertly builds the psychological suspense.” — Courier Mail (Australia)
“The cinematic rhythm is thrilling. A triumph.” — Paris Match Belgium (France)
Paris Match Belgium (France)
The cinematic rhythm is thrilling. A triumph.
Courier Mail (Australia)
Step back in time with this intriguing French mystery... Grémillon expertly builds the psychological suspense.
BSC News (France)
A novel about the complicity between history with a small ‘h’ — the characters’ stories—and History with a capital ‘H.’ As in Bernard Schlink’s The Reader, nothing is more moving than to witness characters as castaways shipwrecked by History.
Grazia (Australia)
A truly compelling read.
Herald on Sunday (Australia)
Sensitively written, it is a suspenseful, absorbing tale about the power of history and how it plays on the present.
The Saturday Age (Australia)
This most assured first novel is structured like a series of matryoshka dolls; as we start reading, stories within stories are revealed until we are finally faced with the gem at the centre. Grémillon’s conclusion to what is both mystery story and romance is an absolute crackerjack.
Le Nouvel Observateur
"Hélène Grémillon's talent bursts forth in this first novel, as much for the style as the historical details and the suspense that persists up to the very last paragraph. As for the main characters... they are all complex, unpredictable and above all charismatic."
Le Point
"Hélène Grémillon: remember this name! Scrupulously written, with fine and harmonious phrasing that renders the heroines' voices perfectly."
Le Figaro Litteraire
"The reader is literally riveted to this story, both thriller and historical account. The text has accents of maturity, a stunning mastery of narration, a sense of suspense worthy of a top-notch film. A gripping first novel."
ELLE (France)
"Hélène Grémillon takes us to the heart of a family secret. We witness undeclared love, hidden hatreds, and revenge with terrible consequences. She writes of two periods in time in two voices. And we are twice as caught up in this book which truly touches our hearts."
Historical Novels Review
A beautiful, intricate book, The Confidant is held together with delicate threads and secrets. I scarcely know how to review it without inadvertently giving one away. It’s a story of enduring emotions—love, jealousy, revenge—and the lengths that we will go to in their name. A love story, a thriller, a war novel, The Confidant is hard to put down. And, when you do, you’ll want to flip back to the beginning and read again to see what clues you may have missed the first time. This gripping little story with its flawed, yet memorable characters is highly recommended.” An Editor's Choice pick, February 2013
Sandra Smith
The Confidant is a must read for anyone who loves intrigue. It will keep you guessing until the very last page - beautifully written, original and thoroughly engaging.
Margaret Leroy
Helene Gremillon tells her heartrending tale of human frailty, cruelty and love in prose of subtle elegance, and her flawed, fascinating characters stayed with me long after I’d finished the book. This is poised and beautiful storytelling.
Deborah Lawrenson
Succumb to a very French story and allow yourself to be seduced by Hélène Grémillon’s serpentine tale of wartime passion and revenge. As the past intensifies its grip on a young woman’s present, shifting perspectives exert an irresistible pull. Direct, unsettling and atmospheric.
Sarah Jio
Captivating and haunting, the passion and heartache absolutely leap off the page in Hélène Grémillon’s The Confidant . The first thing you’ll want to do after finishing, is to flip to the first chapter and start reading it all over again, combing for overlooked clues.
Amanda Hodgkinson
The Confidant is an impressive blend of historical precision, high suspense and sharp-sighted psychological truths. A gorgeous, captivating novel with brilliant storytelling. It’s a novel that will stay with me.
JANUARY 2013 - AudioFile
Upon the death of her mother and the arrival of the ensuing condolence cards, Camille begins receiving strange letters from a correspondent she cannot trace, one who is telling her about his childhood love, Annie. Before long, it becomes apparent that something in this story is Camille’s story as well. The story is set during an exceedingly emotional time in Camille’s life, and narrator Ellen Archer makes that clear without being overdramatic. It is this simple and realistic display of emotion that helps the listener completely invest in Gremillon’s story of family, desire, and identity. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
