Sur le sable
by
Written by a contemporary French author I admire, Michèle Lesbre, Sur le sable (2009) is a paean to Modiano, a contemporary French author Lesbre clearly admires. In pure Modiano style, a chance encounter between two lost souls on a beach, as a house burns in the night behind them, results in the unspooling of their pasts. Lovely on its own but best read when familiar with Modiano’s work; the heroine has been whiling away long hours as a hotel night clerk reading Modiano’s novels and regular references to them are made.
