Sleeping Children A Novel
Sleeping Children by Anthony Passeron is a novel published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on April 29, 2025. This intimate first novel explores the intertwined lives of a family in southern France against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis and the early detection of the virus by French doctors. Set in 1981, the narrative unfolds as a doctor in Paris encounters a resurgence of a long-eradicated disease, paralleling the struggles of Passeron’s family in a rural village grappling with heroin addiction.
Readers will find a poignant exploration of personal and societal crises as the lives of Anthony’s family members collide with the broader implications of a global epidemic. The story delves into themes of shame and the impact of secrets, highlighting the experiences of those who fought for both a cure and justice for marginalized communities. With a page count of 208, this edition presents a compelling narrative that reflects on the complexities of family dynamics and the historical context of the AIDS crisis, all while offering a radical vision of a reshaped and remembered history.
Official synopsis Publisher
An intimate, captivating first novel that tells the story of a family in southern France whose lives are intertwined with the history of the AIDS crisis—and with the forgotten French doctors who are among the first to detect the virus.
It’s 1981. As a wave of mysterious infections sweeps across the United States, a doctor in Paris encounters something unexpected: a case of a disease long thought to have been eradicated. It matches what is happening across the Atlantic—and thus begins a race to make sense of a deadly virus, one that will define a generation.
Miles away, in rural France, Anthony Passeron’s family is dealing with a crisis of their own. Their small village is gripped by another epidemic: heroin addiction. Anthony’s uncle Désiré, once the pride of the family, has become one of the “sleeping children.” Often found unconscious on street corners, he is now a stranger to his family. As Désiré’s life descends into chaos, the thunder of the AIDS crisis grows closer. These two stories—one intimate, one global—are about to collide.
Anthony Passeron’s moving novel is also an eye-opening story about shame and the slow poisoning that secrets can inflict on a family. Exploring the stories of the heroic few who fought not only for a cure but for justice for an abandoned community, Sleeping Children is a radical vision of a history reshaped, retold, and remembered.
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