the favorite ***SOLD***

Sarah Jollien-Fardel

(Sabine Wespieser Editeur, 200 pages, 2022)

***Winner of the 2022 PRIX du roman FNAC***

***Goncourt Choice for Switzerland***

***long-listed for the Prix Goncourt 2022***

***TRANSLATION SAMPLE AVAILABLE HERE***

Jeanne flees from her home in the Valais of Switzerland. She can no longer endure her father’s beatings and vituperative attacks, her mother’s cowardly resignation, and most of all the villagers’ refusal to recognize the authenticity of her trauma.

Jumping at the opportunity to study in Lausanne, she explores her sexuality for the first time with other women, and experiences successive relationships that unearth parts of herself she thought she had buried away. In her chosen land of exile, she discovers the therapeutic joy of swimming in Lake Geneva, which washes away her other memories and fears, at least for a little while.

But the escape cannot last. Called back to her natal Valais each time tragedy strikes her family, Jeanne is forced again and again to face the reality of her childhood—her sister’s story which she has long ignored, the palpable fear she cannot hide, the impotence and regret she feels at her mother’s fate, all of which build increasing tension. Her long-lasting relationship with Marine, who has loved and comforted her through it all, is rocked by her attraction to her co-worker Paul, whom she tries to push away. With the impression that she is turning into another version of her father, she becomes disgusted with herself and overwhelmed with guilt. Can she heal from the reopened wounds, or will they define her path?

This dark and heart-wrenching novel tackles challenging issues including physical abuse, rape, alcoholism, and suicide. Yet the picturesque setting lightens the air of the atmosphere, bringing a taste of hope to a tormented soul.

Sarah Jollien-Fardel has been a journalist for the past thirty years, along with being the editor in chief of the magazine Aimer Lire. The Favorite is her debut novel.