The Beginners
The Beginners by Anne Serre, published by New Directions Publishing Corporation in 2021, is a literary work that explores the complexities of love and desire. In this 185-page novel, Anna, who has enjoyed a stable relationship with Guillaume for two decades, finds herself irresistibly drawn to Thomas, a man marked by emotional scars. This sudden shift in her affections leads Anna to navigate the challenging terrain of love, as she grapples with her feelings for both men.
Readers will encounter a narrative that delves into themes of attraction and emotional conflict, set against a backdrop that blends elements of absurdism and literary criticism. The story presents Anna’s internal struggle as she attempts to reconcile her long-standing relationship with Guillaume and her newfound passion for Thomas. Through its unpredictable and sensual prose, The Beginners invites readers to reflect on the nature of love and the choices that define our connections with others.
Official synopsis Publisher
Anna has been living happily for twenty years with loving, sturdy, outgoing Guillaume when she suddenly (truly at first sight) falls in love with Thomas. Intelligent and handsome, but apparently scarred by a terrible early emotional wound, he reminds Anna of Jude the Obscure. Adrift and lovelorn, she tries unsuccessfully to fend off her attraction, torn between the two men. “How strange it is to leave someone you love for someone you love. You cross a footbridge that has no name, that’s not named in any poem. No, nowhere is a name given to this bridge, and that is why Anna found it so difficult to cross.”
Anne Serre offers here, in her third book in English, her most direct novel to date. The Beginners is unpredictable, sensual, exhilarating, oddly moral, perverse, absurd–and unforgettable.
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