The Martins

A wryly funny story about a struggling Parisian writer who finds the heroine of his next novel right outside his apartment

“Foenkinos is at his best in this playful novel”  — Elle

“A charming, clever book”  — The Independent

Is it true that every life is the stuff of novels? Or are some people just too ordinary?

This is the question a struggling Parisian writer asks when he challenges himself to write about the first person he sees when he steps outside his apartment. Secretly hoping to meet the beautiful woman who occasionally smokes on his street, he instead sets eyes on octogenarian Madeleine. She's happy to become the subject of his project, but first she needs to put her shopping away.

Is it really true, the writer wonders, that every life is the stuff of novels, or is his story doomed to be hopelessly banal? As he gets to know Madeleine and her family, he’ll be privy to their secrets: lost loves, marital problems and workplace worries. And he’ll soon realise he is not the impartial bystander he intended to be, but a catalyst for major changes in the lives of his characters.

Told with Foenkinos’s characteristic irony and self-deprecating humour, yet filled with warmth, The Martins is a compelling tale of the family next door which raises questions about what it means to be ‘ordinary’, and about the blurred lines between truth and fiction. Light yet profound, it’s another deeply charming story by this beloved French author."As it explores the relationship between reality and art, this understated novel about identity, family, and redemption reveals how the most banal incidents can sometimes trigger the most meaningful experiences. A playful yet profound reflection on the extraordinary nature of ordinary life."
—Kirkus ReviewsDavid Foenkinos is the author of 17 novels which have been translated into 40 languages. His novel Delicacy was made into a film starring Audrey Tautou (2011). He received the 2014 Prix Renaudot and Prix Goncourt des Lycéens for Charlotte.

Sam Taylor is the author of The Republic of Trees (2005), The Amnesiac (2007), The Island at the End of the World (2009), The Ground is Burning (2011), all published by Faber and Faber. Sam’s translations include award-winning HHhH (2012), The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (2014) and The Heart (2017).