“a searing, unforgettable read”
Eileen Battersby on Mend the Living

“I’ve seldom read a more moving book … when the book ends, the reader feels bereft … One longs for more.”
The Guardian on Mend the Living

Many novelists have explored the territory of a teenager’s heart, but the heart in question is usually a metaphor. In Mend the Living, the astonishing new novel from Maylis de Kerangal, it is real. Simon Limbeau is a typical energetic teenager, but when he joins his friends for a surfing expedition, he sets in train a tragedy that leaves his parents with a terrible decision. Longlisted for this year’s International Man Booker Prize, Mend the Living is a towering achievement from one of France’s most audacious prose stylists. The event will be chaired by journalist Eileen Battersby. Presented in association with the Embassy of France in Ireland.