The Margot Affair

April 15, 2020
A French teenager struggles to navigate her relationships with her famous parents in this moody bildungsroman. Margot Louve's life changes forever when she and her mother, Anouk, a successful stage actress, see her father's wife outside a cafe in Paris. Suddenly, Margot begins to question the secret life that her father, Bertrand Lapierre, the French Minister of Culture, and her formidable, unconventional mother have built together. Though Margot adores her father, who remains a frequent presence in her life, his identity must remain a secret to the rest of the world. When faced with the reality of his other, public life and family, Margot begins to yearn for her father to leave his wife and takes a reckless step to encourage him to do so. This debut novel by Lemoine, a French Japanese writer who currently lives in New York, explores Margot's relationships not only with her parents, but also with Brigitte and David, two older, married journalists with whom she develops an ambiguous, sexually fraught relationship. Lemoine excels at teasing out the ambivalent contours of relationships between teenagers and adults. At 17, Margot teeters between childhood and adulthood: Both insightful and immature, she is eager to be treated like a grown-up. Frustrated by adults who treat her like a child, she is drawn to people who seem to take her seriously. But these relationships are not straightforward, and as the book progresses, Margot reevaluates her ideas about Brigitte, David, and her parents. Though the novel is largely concerned with Margot's interior emotional state, it moves at a satisfyingly quick pace, and Lemoine's prose is visually and emotionally precise: "If she abandoned me," Margot thinks of Anouk, "I'd have a concrete reason to blame her, other than this confused feeling of unhappiness." An engrossing, impressive debut novel that skillfully charts a young Frenchwoman's coming-of-age.

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April 20, 2020
Lemoine’s sumptuous debut explores the enthralling life of the 17-year-old secret love child of a French politician. Margot Louve is the child of stage actress Anouk Louve and Bertrand Lapierre, the French Minister of Culture during the late ’90s. Her father, though loving and kind, only visits Margot and Anouk sporadically, but Margot idealizes him—especially in comparison to her dramatic, self-absorbed mother. Tired of subterfuge and lack of recognition, Margot leaks her parents’ affair to journalist David Perrin in a bid for public acknowledgement from her father. However, Margot’s plan backfires when Bertrand discovers what she’s up to and consequently cuts off her and Anouk. As Margot struggles with the consequences of her decision, she turns to David and his wife, Brigitte, and forms a secret life of her own; Margot confides in Brigitte, who considers ghostwriting Margot’s memoir. As Margot becomes reliant on Brigitte’s attention and validation, she also develops an obsession with David. The eclectic cast and rich Parisian backdrop deepen this dramatic exploration of family and the trials of early adulthood. Francophiles and anyone who appreciates an emotionally rewarding story will enjoy Lemoine’s lush, well-crafted tale.

June 5, 2020

DEBUT Lemoine's novel features a 17-year-old Parisian girl named Margot Louve. Margo has been raised by Anouk, her actress mother, with only occasional visits by her adored father, Bertrand Lapierre, the French Minster of Culture. Bertrand is married with two grown sons. Margot knows about her father's first family, but it is not until she sees Madame Lapierre that she decides to take action. Yearning to have her father choose herself and her mother, she places her trust in married journalists David and Brigitte. Enamored of the young couple and caught up in her feelings of attraction, Margot realizes too late that her honesty will bring repercussions not only to her parents, but to her own life. Margot is wonderfully portrayed as a young girl teetering on the brink of adulthood. She longs for her father's love and attention, and develops a sexual attraction to David. No longer a child, she discovers that her adult decisions have consequences. VERDICT This thoughtful and beautifully written first novel perfectly portrays the inner life of a teen as she navigates the path to adulthood. It's hard to put down and highly recommended for readers who love coming-of-age stories. [See Prepub Alert, 12/9/19.]--Catherine Coyne, Mansfield P.L., MA

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