The People in the Photo.

Book Summary

The three figures in the photograph are frozen forever, two men and a woman bathed in sunlight . . .

The chance discovery of a newspaper image from 1971 sets two people on the path to learning the disturbing truth about their parents' pasts.

Parisian archivist Hélène takes out a newspaper advert calling for information about her mother, who died when she was three, and the two men pictured with her in a photograph taken at a tennis tournament at Interlaken in 1971. Stéphane, a Swiss biologist living in Kent, responds: his father is one of the people in the photo. Letters and more photos pass between them as they embark on a journey to uncover the truth their parents kept from them. But will the relics of the past fill the silences left by the players?

Winner of fifteen literary awards, this dark yet touching drama deftly explores the themes of blame and forgiveness, identity and love.

Hélène Gestern lives and works in Nancy, France. The People in the Photo is her first novel.

My Review

This book is one that I probably never would have heard about or even considered if I had not gotten it sent to me for consideration for possible review. Once, it arrived, I was very interested in reading it. I grabbed it and dug in. Wow, I loved how the story of lost love mixed with the present and a little mystery was portrayed in this story. It goes to show you that all you need is a good author who knows how to write to bring life to any story.

The way this story was told with the back and forth correspondence was nice. I liked that the author made the story move faster by jumped days or even weeks between Helene and Stephane. Although there is no real surprise as to how the story ends or even how Helene and Stephane are connected, their story is still a lovely one. Love can span time and long distance. If you are looking for a new author to read, then you should check out Helene Gestern and The People in the Photo.

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