Throughout the novel we dip into snapshots of the affair, interspersed with references to 80s pop culture alongside works by Hervé Guibert and Marguerite Duras, in a narrative which is equal parts reminiscent of Proust and Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts. The story is told from the perspective of an older and wiser Philippe, who is reminded of this adolescent love affair after encountering a man who bears a striking resemblance to his former flame. Besson regales us with what could be a semi-autobiographical tale of his protagonist Philippe, a young, well-educated and bourgeois teenager growing up in a small village in France, who falls in love with Thomas Andrieu, a lower-class boy from a farming background. Besson’s narrative about young love is punchy and powerful – he doesn’t waste words, and uses five where another author would use fifty. After a quick read, it’s easy to see why. Originally published in 2017, the book has been much lauded, and won the prestigious Maison De La Presse prize. Philippe Besson’s Lie With Me is a recent release from Penguin, skilfully rendered from the original French in actress Molly Ringwald’s first foray into translation.
He smiled so that I could take his smile with me.” “He knew…that it was our last moment together.
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