A remote French island. A crumbling villa. A reclusive film star. And an inheritance Saskia never expected. The stunning new novel from the critically acclaimed author of The Beautiful Words.
Saskia Wyle spent one sultry European summer on Île de Re when she was nineteen. The bright salt flats and sun-soaked beaches are now a distant memory, and one she made herself forget after an unspeakable tragedy.
But the French heiress she befriended over twenty years ago has left half of her magnificent home to Saskia and the other half to Felix Allard, the now-reclusive film star living on the island. How did Simone Durant die? Was it the family curse that haunted her? And why has she included Saskia in her will after all this time?
Saskia returns to the place of dry-stone walls and ancient olive trees to find that Simone has left her another unexpected gift – a manuscript written in French. Like the lyrical language embedded somewhere in Saskia’s subconscious, she must find a way to understand what Simone is telling her. As Saskia once again falls under the island’s spell, she must reckon with her past to save what is most precious to her.
There’s a hypnotising rhythm to Vanessa McCausland’s beautifully written new novel that’s both mesmerising and moving. McCausland elegantly captures the overwhelming experience of ‘not feeling’ within the opening pages of Dreaming In French, as we learn Saskia is usually medicated and determined to keep her past well and truly in place. But a letter from France changes all that, awakening Saskia from her slumber of the life she has settled for and reminded of who she truly is.
This is a deeply relatable novel, showing how we become increasingly efficient at keeping aspects of our lives under wraps… until they emerge, demanding to be seen and dealt with. Saskia’s journey to deal with her past so she can face her present is both significant and inspiring.
There’s a tender and honest voice in Saskia’s first-person narration and a clever counterpoint with the third person retelling of Le Passe that’s been expertly interwoven through Simone’s manuscript. The setting provides idyllic escapism while the mystery element contributes another layer to this insightful, emotive and elegant coming of second age story. We couldn’t recommend it more.
Leave a Reply