The Margot Affair

The Margot Affair by Sanaë Lemoine
Reviewed by Mimi
📕📕📕📕

There was something about reading a French novel that has really satisfied me. Not sure whether it's the wanderlust I'm feeling coming out of the latest UK lockdown or just the feeling of experiencing a new setting and culture. It's exactly what I needed.

Margot is a child born of an affair between a prominent French politician and a performer. She has access to her father but it’s limited and she wants to lay a greater claim to his time. She is a secret and constantly wonders why he can't live with her. Her mother never expected to have a child and their relationship is strained. In the course of events, Margot strikes up a relationship with a journalist and then his wife and the consequences that follow are not what anyone expected. Let's just say it’s French so prepare to be a little shocked!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and all the way through was intrigued by Margot's development. The nuances of having an artistic, single parent who is used to being in the limelight were so delicate and invoked quite strong emotions. The way Margot develops with a part of her identity as a secret is just brilliant to read and masterfully handled. She is a character displaying wisdom beyond her years and I immediately liked her. She makes bad choices but I was still rooting for her.

One of my favourites from this year!