Your basket is empty.
-
- Books
What You Need From The Night (Paperback)
Laurent Petitmangin (author), Shaun Whiteside (translator)Published: 01/02/2024
'One of the most exquisite debuts I've read' - Daily Telegraph
'Affecting and haunting' - Observer
After the death of his wife, a father in a forgotten corner of France raises his two sons alone. But their town is not one of opportunity, and the boys are heading down different paths. Gillou sets his sights on university in Paris while Fus falls in with the local far-right group, searching for meaning and belonging with dangerous friends.
How can a father and son find common ground when everything seems set to break them apart? A sudden act of violence will force them to find an answer.
Tense, sharp and ultimately heartbreaking, Laurent Petitmangin's first novel, What You Need From The Night, asks what acts can truly be forgiven.
'A tragedy of unconditional love' - L'Obs
'Heartbreaking . . . haunts you long after you've put it down'- Libération
'As sublime as it is painful' - Le Parisien
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781529063523
Number of pages: 160
Weight: 116 g
Dimensions: 197 x 130 x 10 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
A triumph of tamped power and unsutured emotion . . . one of the most exquisite debuts I’ve read for some time - Daily Telegraph
Affecting and haunting - Observer
A short blast of a novel: a howl of pain, impotence and rage. The prose, fluently translated by Shaun Whiteside, is precise and unadorned - Spectator
Heartbreaking . . . haunts you long after you've put it down - Libération
A tragedy of unconditional love - L'Obs
As sublime as it is painful - Le Parisien
A poignant, modest, moving book - Télérama
It's impossible not to devour this heartbreaking and beautiful short text in one gulp - Psychologie Mag
An unforgettable first novel, Laurent Petitmangin writes as one lives. And it's dazzling - L'Est Républicain
Petitmangin tells his story of generational shock with a painful quality, a deep voice charged with sadness and a touching efficiency. Memorable - El País
A block of raw emotion - Paris Match
He describes with inifinite accuracy the violence of a father not being able to recognise his son anymore - Femme Actuelle
It shines with the dazzling yet minimalist style that probes hearts and consciences - La Provence
Magnificent! - France Inter
Everytime, Laurent Petitmangin finds the right word - Le Figaro
You may also be interested in...
“A small package with a poignant message.”
A short novella looking at the impact of Le Pen and the far right movement on a family scale, where an older brother falls in with a group of fascists. The recently widowed father disengages with his son and so the... More
“A complex and humanising novella”
A haunting story from a forgotten corner of France. Despite the father being central, and Fus being the 'bad guy', it is hard not to sympathise with him. The characters are so starkly defined, each one in... More
“tragic, compelling”
Thank you @picadorbooks for sending me an uncorrected proof for review!
What You Need From the Night is a French novella that follows a single father trying his best to raise his two sons after the death of his...
More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?