Lie With Me: A Novel
Philippe Besson
Translated by Molly Ringwald
The award-winning, bestselling French novel by Philippe Besson—“the French Brokeback Mountain” (Elle)—about an affair between two teenage boys in 1984 France, translated with subtle beauty and haunting lyricism by the iconic and internationally acclaimed actress/writer Molly Ringwald.
Just outside a hotel in Bordeaux, Philippe chances upon a young man who bears a striking resemblance to his first love. What follows is a look back at the relationship he’s never forgotten, a hidden affair with a gorgeous boy named Thomas during their last year of high school. Without ever acknowledging they know each other in the halls, they steal time to meet in secret, carrying on a passionate, world-altering affair.
Besson’s powerfully moving coming-of-age story captures the eroticism and tenderness of first love—and the heartbreaking passage of time.
Best Gay Novel of 2019 by The Advocate.
Editor's Choice in the New York Times Book Review
One of O, The Oprah Magazine's Best LGBTQ Books That'll Change the Literary Landscape in 2019
One of The Wall Street Journal's Ten Books You'll Want to Read this Spring.
One of Out's Best Queer Books of April 2019.
“[A] study in intimacy ... the novel captures the full tragedy of the closet ... Equal parts Andre Aciman and Marguerite Duras.””
“A beautiful and poignant love story, a short and very French tale whose sparse, delicate prose is gorgeously translated by Molly Ringwald, retaining all of its heart-stopping power.”
“An elegiac tale of first, hidden love between two teen-age boys who have no chance of a shared future.... The book reads like a photograph, faded but composed: the bac, linden trees, a green Simca 1100, Lino Ventura. We can see even if we don’t know. Call it a memoir of a memory.””