Used book – Les guerres intérieures, Valérie Tong Cuong

Second-rate actor Pax Monnier had given up on his dreams of glory when his agent called him: a major American director wanted to meet him without delay. After stopping by his place to grab a jacket, he heard sounds of a struggle coming from the upstairs apartment. He convinced himself it was nothing important and rushed to his appointment. Upon his return, he learned that a student, Alexis Winckler, had been brutally assaulted.

A year later, the actor met the enigmatic Emi Shimizu and immediately fell in love with her—unaware that she was Alexis's mother. Soon, the trap closed in on Pax, caught in the throes of his guilt. Who hasn't shown cowardice? What is the price to pay? When all seems lost, what can still be saved?

The dominance of desire and fear, fantasized lives, and self-transcendence are at the heart of this feverish book, which features characters of astonishing humanity and stays with you long after you've closed it.

Reading it is like going through a cyclone. Sandrine Mariette, Elle.

A powerful and luminous novel. Maria Ferragu, Page des libraires.