Monique Escapes - Édouard Louis Her own mum was formidable

Her own mum was formidable in her powers

he spends his days on his land and absorbed in the family archive

This small bomb of a novel

she was nowhere to be found

an ominous order is issued by the local Fascist authorities: all Jews must be rounded up and detained in the bishop’s villa to await deportation

Monique Escapes - Édouard Louis Her own mum was formidableOne evening, during a writers residency in Athens, douard receives a tearful phone call from his mother, Monique. She tells him that the man she lives with in Paris is abusive, inflicting upon her the same drunken behaviour as douards father, repeating the same cycles of violence, shame and humiliation she fled from before. Step by step, they plan her escape, celebrating each small victory of Moniques new beginning. But how do you rebuild your life