Praise for The Monuments of Paris
“An enthralling view into a family’s mysteries.” — Publisher’s Weekly
“Another artful family dissection performed by Huisman.” — Kirkus
“Violaine Huisman explores and contests the myths surrounding the great men of her family, using fiction where the official archives fall silent.
The Monuments of Paris is a moving elegy for her accomplished, mercurial, outrageous father—and a beautiful act of disobedience.” — Ben Lerner, author of
Transcription and
The Topeka School
“In Violaine Huisman’s captivating novel, the real monuments of Paris are not its buildings, but its people—a grand, multigenerational family saga, blending the history of France with intimate personal narratives.” — Anne Berest, author of
The Postcard
Praise for The Book of Mother, A Novel
Longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize
A New York Times Notable Book
A Library Journal Best Book of 2021
Prix Françoise Sagan and the Prix Marie Claire.
"Marvelous... superbly effective. One develops a soft spot for many of Huisman’s characters, despite their hideous and sometimes criminal behavior..."—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker
"Huisman initially narrates from her childhood perspective, then zooms out to cover the whole of Maman’s life..."—
The New Yorker, In brief
"A prize-winning sensation in France, Huisman’s witty, immersive autofiction showcases a Parisian childhood with a charismatic, depressed parent."—
Oprah Daily
“That the madness of Violaine’s childhood left her 'deeply marked' is both hardly in doubt and not the subject of this tender, searching book...”—
New York Times Book Review
"Camhi’s translation from the French of Huisman’s debut novel conveys Violaine's steady compulsion to understand..."—
Kirkus, starred
About the Author
Born in Paris and based in New York for over two decades, Violaine Huisman is a novelist, translator, and cultural curator. She previously ran the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s literary series and has organized multidisciplinary arts festivals across the city. She is now the Cultural Director of L’Alliance New York.
Her debut novel, The Book of Mother (Fugitive parce que reine), was translated worldwide and received multiple awards. It was also named one of The New York Times’ Notable Books of 2021 and is currently being adapted for the screen.
Her second novel, Rose Désert, was published in 2019 by Gallimard. The Monuments of Paris, to be published in April 2026, has been named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by Literary Hub.
About the Moderator
Benoit Landon is a journalist and librarian at the French Library, where he hosts book clubs and literary talks. He has interviewed authors such as Éric Chacour, Sophie Divry, Étienne Kern, and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Powers.
