3.5
What You Need from the Night
ByPublisher Description
A CrimeReads Best International Fiction Book of Fall 2023
A powerful, intimate portrait of grief and radicalization that grapples with the conundrum of having loved ones we no longer recognize.
After the death of his wife, a father raises his two sons alone. His bond with Fus, the elder, and Gillou, the younger, is a close one. But their town is not a place of opportunity, and it soon becomes clear that the boys are heading down different paths. Gillou sets his sights on university in Paris. Fus, despite his socialist upbringing, falls in with the local far-right group. Though he joins mostly for the camaraderie, their activities, which might on the surface appear harmless, lead to a violent confrontation.
How can a father and son find common ground when everything seems set to break them apart? A sudden tragedy will force them to find an answer.
Tense, sharp, and ultimately heartbreaking, What You Need from the Night asks what acts can truly be forgiven, and shines a spotlight on the forgotten corners of a country where white supremacy has taken hold much like in the US.
A powerful, intimate portrait of grief and radicalization that grapples with the conundrum of having loved ones we no longer recognize.
After the death of his wife, a father raises his two sons alone. His bond with Fus, the elder, and Gillou, the younger, is a close one. But their town is not a place of opportunity, and it soon becomes clear that the boys are heading down different paths. Gillou sets his sights on university in Paris. Fus, despite his socialist upbringing, falls in with the local far-right group. Though he joins mostly for the camaraderie, their activities, which might on the surface appear harmless, lead to a violent confrontation.
How can a father and son find common ground when everything seems set to break them apart? A sudden tragedy will force them to find an answer.
Tense, sharp, and ultimately heartbreaking, What You Need from the Night asks what acts can truly be forgiven, and shines a spotlight on the forgotten corners of a country where white supremacy has taken hold much like in the US.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesWhat You Need from the Night Reviews
3.5
About Laurent Petitmangin
Laurent Petitmangin was born in 1965 in the east of France into a family of railway workers. He has received numerous literary prizes in France for his writing, including the Prix Femina des lycéens, the Prix Stanislas, Grand Prix du premier roman, as well as numerous readers’ prizes. What You Need from the Night is his debut novel.
Shaun Whiteside has translated more than fifty books from German, French, Italian, and Dutch, including Serotonin by Michel Houellebecq, Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler, The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink, and Magdalene the Sinner by Lilian Faschinger, which won him the Schlegel-Tieck Prize for German Translation in 1997.
Shaun Whiteside has translated more than fifty books from German, French, Italian, and Dutch, including Serotonin by Michel Houellebecq, Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler, The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink, and Magdalene the Sinner by Lilian Faschinger, which won him the Schlegel-Tieck Prize for German Translation in 1997.
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
