Real Life (Paperback)
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Staff Reviews
"Real Life is a raw, dark, and profoundly powerful coming of age tale. Adeline Dieudonné brings to life a heroine for the modern world. The book grabs you with the opening lines; “Our house had four bedrooms. There was mine,my little brother Sam’s room, that of my parents, and the one with the carcasses.” The father is a big game hunter, physically abusive, and the mother lives in a state of fear. The foreshadowing of domestic violence and fear quickly turns to terror with a violent death that the children witness. This senseless act of violence tears the relationship of the siblings, our narrator notices Sam has developed a relationship with the carcasses and their father. She is determined to save him from himself, their father, and the outside world both real and imagined. This debut has won many awards in France, and its taut prose, dark comedy, and compelling story will keep you up at night until you reach the end."
— SusanDescription
When the innocence of fairy tales meets the terror of a Stephen King thriller...
This international bestseller by French author Adeline Dieudonn is one girl's bitingly funny coming-of-age tale within a violent, savage family.
At home there are four bedrooms: one for her, one for her little brother Sam, one for her parents, and one for the carcasses. Her father is a big-game hunter, a powerful predator, and her mother is submissive to her violent husband's demands. The young narrator spends the days with Sam, playing in the shells of cars dumped for scrap and listening out for the melody of the ice-cream truck, until a brutal accident shatters their world. The uncompromising pen of Adeline Dieudonn wields flashes of brilliance as she brings her characters to life in a world that is both dark and sensual. This breathtaking debut is a sharp and funny coming-of-age tale in which reality and fantasy collide.