Getting lost

In this entrancing work, French writer Ernaux (The Years) relives the passionate yet devastating memories of a whirlwind affair through her own diary entries. From November 1989 to April 1990, when she was a writer and teacher living in Paris, Ernaux became besotted with a married Russian diplomat at the Soviet embassy. Set against the political, social, and literary events that defined the parameters of their relationship, Ernaux's narrative traces her secret love affair with "Mr. S," a man 13 years her junior, as she recalls falling under S's narcissistic hold ("a lovely hell") and the "state of nameless terror" she endures between his phone calls and brief visits. Their affair revives old and painful memories that threaten her self-worth: an abortion in 1964, a failed marriage, and recurring dreams of her mother's death. Ernaux's writing is astonishingly candid as she illustrates the ways loss, heartache, and love intersect with her craft as a writer: "I am consumed with desire.... I want perfection in love, as I believe I attained a kind of perfection in writing with A Woman's Story. That can only happen through giving, while throwing all caution to the wind. I'm already well on my way." Fans will relish every scintillating detail. (Sept.)

Nobel laureate Ernaux (The Years) publishes her unaltered journal from when she was a woman obsessed, wholly consumed by her affair with married Russian diplomat "S." Their time together, from October 1988 to November 1989, centers on sex and her preoccupation with him, while in the background the Berlin Wall falls and Ernaux ruminates over her reading of Anna Karenina. She is frequently miserable, as S is often unavailable, and she jealously assumes she is one of several mistresses. Each day without a call or visit reminds her of previous relationships and how much she focuses on providing what this man wants. After S moves back to Russia, she begins to recover and regains focus on her work. In retrospect when reading over her journal, she decides the whole episode was "almost shameful, a waste of energy." Narrator Tavia Gilbert does an excellent job conveying Ernaux's vulnerability and intensity during this tumultuous love affair filled with passion and despair. VERDICT An interesting choice for libraries where patrons are looking for more of Ernaux's work, but an optional purchase for most.--Christa Van Herreweghe