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A weak pick

Our Narrator is talking about his friendship with Fanny. & friendships are never easy, especially when you don‘t know which of you friend‘s personalities you‘re going to meet

I watched Jen Campbell‘s YouTube video where she read some of the longlisted International Booker books & one of several ideas she talked about was that the Narrator & Fanny where the same person, & the Narrator where Fanny looking at herself from a distance

Told through her friendship with the "Narrator" in short vignettes, this is the story of a troubled young woman.

It was written shortly after the death of the author's younger sister, but it is not clear to what degree Fanny is based on her.

It is a moving character piece, that draws a vivid portrait of a complex, multi-faceted personality.

Some very good writing, but I had some issues with (what I assume was) the translation itself.

A very slim book and a powerful take on living with mental illness and living with someone who has a mental illness. Also an interesting spin on fiction and writing - the role of an author and a narrator, the function of a story and who gets to tell it. I liked its creativity.

A narrator introduces a Narrator who introduces Fanny, who struggles with mental health and hides a girl with a leopard-skin hat inside her. That‘s what her best friend, the Narrator says. But we‘re warned by the narrator that this is just the Narrator‘s side of the story. So Fanny remains quite mysterious.
It‘s a weird, very French book, I think half of what Anne Serre means with it went over my head 🤷🏻‍♀️

#InternationalBooker25 longlist

When I saw the Booker International long list earlier, I thought this title sounded familiar. I was so worried that I had sold this in our rushed move last month. Imagine my delight when I found it as I was unboxing yet another box of books today. ☺️

I wasn‘t quite sure what to make of this book - the story of a friendship between the Narrator and his lifelong friend Fanny, a woman with mental health struggles. The Narrator - who clearly cares for Fanny - writes about her as though she is a study sometimes. However, the last part of the book really clicked for me and how it looks at what mental health/illness means and a glimpse from the other side.