62: On “The Margot Affair” with Sanaë Lemoine The New Paris Podcast

I’ve been doing a lot of reading this summer and was delighted to discover the work of Sanaë Lemoine, a first-time novelist. Her book, “The Margot Affair”, was an editor’s choice by The New York Times shortly after it was released in June for its “lush, lyrical prose that perfectly captures the heightened emotion and confusion of being a young woman with a bruised heart and limited experience”. The book follows Margot Louve, the secret daughter of a French politician and a famous actress as she drops this startling revelation that will shatter her family. It asks us all to consider how we would handle being part of a hidden family and how one decision can change the course of our lives. I’m thrilled to be joined by the author to talk about her process, the book’s inspiration, and her own journey from Paris to Australia to America, a few other places in between.

Mentioned in this episode:
Buy “The Margot Affair” https://bookshop.org/a/3892/9781984854438
Sanaë Lemoine’s work: https://www.sanaelemoine.com/
NYT book review: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/books/review-margot-affair-sanae-lemoine.html
Mitterand affair: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/books/in-francois-mitterrand-letters-an-intimate-portrait-of-the-other-woman.html
Recipe from the book: https://smittenkitchen.com/2020/08/mathildes-tomato-tart/