Human Nature
ABOUT
THE BOOK
When his three sisters escape to the city Alexander is left to run the family farm. Though reluctant, he commits himself to honouring the traditional methods that prioritise the welfare of his cattle, and produce the highest quality meat. But the world around him is changing. The insatiable appetites of supermarkets and fast food chains demand that standards must be sacrificed for speed. As Alexandre struggles to balance his principles and his livelihood, he is drawn to the beautiful Constanze, part of a group of environmental activists keen to draw him into their cause. Farmers uses ammonium nitrate and so do eco-terrorists…
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Louise
Rogers Lalaurie
Louise Rogers Lalaurie is a writer and literary translator from French, with a focus on art and heritage, literary and genre fiction. She is based between France (the Seine Valley and Fontainebleau forest) and the UK – London and the Wye Valley in SE Wales.
Louise Rogers Lalaurie is a writer and literary translator from French, with a focus on art and heritage, literary and genre fiction. She is based between France (the Seine Valley and Fontainebleau forest) and the UK – London and the Wye Valley in SE Wales.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
What kind of world do we want to live in? The novel opens with the heatwave of 1976 and closes with the storm of 1999. Between these two events, we follow the 400-page story of Alexandre, who takes over the family farm in the Lot while his three sisters move to the city. He meets Constance, an East German activist and anti-nuclear militant. Through the evocation of the farming world, the author offers us an extremely dense rural, social and political fresco. We loved Serge Joncour’s poetic inspiration, the questions this novel raises, and his sensitive, delicate writing. A contemporary novel, full of humanity.