Delicacy: A Novel

Reminiscent of novels by Nick Hornby, Muriel Barbery, and Jonathan Tropper,internationally acclaimed novelist David Foenkinosdelivers a heartfelt and deftly comedic tale of new love brightening the darkaftermath of loss—and of wounded hearts finding refuge in the strangest ofplaces. After her husband’s unexpected death, Natalie has erected a fortressaround her emotions—and Markus, clumsy and unassuming, will never be her knightin shining armor. Yet slowly but surely, an offbeat romance begins betweenthese two mismatched, complex souls, and contrary to everything Natalie knowsof affection, her perfect suitor may turn out to be love’s most unlikelycandidate—the fool, not the hero, who is finally able to reach her heart. |

Natalie and François are the perfect couple, and perfectly happy. But after François dies suddenly, only seven years into their still blissful marriage, the widowed Natalie erects a fortress around her emotions into which no one can gain access. Until the most unlikely candidate appears: Markus, Natalie’s Swedish, geeky, and unassuming coworker.

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“Delicate, funny, offbeat, and subtle . . . Foenkinos paces the novel well, breaking it up with songs, lists, footnotes, and other formal elements reminiscent of Nick Hornby or Rick Moody yet making them his own.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Lighthearted and offbeat, [DELICACY] serves up a mostly frothy dish of romance, lost love, new hope, and typically Gallic sensibilities . . . [a] thoughtful, character-driven novel.” - Booklist

“A more whimsical, less knowing variation on David Nicholls’s blockbuster One Day . . .immensely likeable, unexpectedly compelling.” - Irish Times

“An extraordinary combination of emotional depth and lightness of touch that sometimes approaches the whimsical without ever tipping over into the twee.” - Sydney Morning Herald

Foenkinos infuses the perfect amount of humor into this unorthodox love story . . . . His prose conjures up the comic neurosis of Woody Allen . . .A delicious chocolate truffle of romance.” - Washington Post