That mad ache

A sweet and intense french love story, with a wonderful style moving easily in and out of the characters' minds and relationships. Lovingly translated with a long translator's note that captures a small sense of Hofstadter's "Le Ton Beau de Marot".

This book is an echo of French New Wave Cinema. The novel is ostensibly about Parisian Lucile, a woman who lives outside of the expected norms of whatever life she lives. The story is enthralling even when so little takes place. It is based around Lucile's love of two men, and the sorrow and happiness this brings all three as she moves through high society and an awkward middle class.

The self-awareness of the characters is something that I often dislike in novels, but in this one it is perfectly in line with the personalities and motivations. It forms a brilliant snapshot of a romantic Paris, simultaneously joyfully heartening and touchingly sad.