French Lit Book Club - Elisa Shua Dusapin

The French Lit Book Club is an English-language book club hosted at the French Library. We read and discuss Francophone works in translation so English speakers can discover the rich world of Francophone literature. 

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 3rd, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

We will be discussing novelist Elisa Shua-Dusapin’s 2023 novel The Old Fire, an exploration of time, memory, and familial belonging. Elisa Shua-Dusapin is an award-winning Franco-Swiss writer. Her debut novel Winter in Sokcho, won the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature, among other prizes. Shua-Dusapin will be visiting the French Library for a book talk the following week!

Publisher’s Description

“Agathe leaves New York and returns to her home in the French countryside, after fifteen years away.

She and her sister Véra, who has not spoken a word since she was six years old, have not seen each other in all those years, and they carry the weight of their own complicated lives. But now their father has died, and they must confront their childhood home on the outskirts of a country estate ravaged by a nearby fire before it is knocked down. They have nine days to empty it. As the pair clean and sift through a lifetime’s worth of belongings, old memories, and resentments surface.”

Please read the book in its entirety and come ready to discuss with an open heart! The French Lit Book Club is a space for readers of all backgrounds. Previous familiarity with French literature or French language is not required. The discussion will be in English.

Options for purchasing the book: Simon & Schuster | Brookline Booksmith | Trident Booksellers | Harvard Book Store (order ahead)