The Silence and the Rage

By: Pierre Lemaitre

Narrated by: Philip Bird

From “a novelist at the height of his powers,” a dramatic and jubilant dive into France in the “glorious years” of the 1950s, through the lens of one ambitious, troubled, and utterly compelling family (La Croix).

It is 1952 and the grown children of Louis Pelletier, a prominent businessman with a dark past, have settled in Paris. Jean, the menacing eldest brother, is trapped in a stifling marriage, his days lightened only by his love for his three-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, the bloody consequences of his violent impulses threaten to catch up to him at last.

François, an up-and-coming reporter, is caught up in a turbulent love affair with an intriguing woman who isn’t quite the person she pretends to be. And Hélène, their younger sister, strives to make her own way as a journalist as she fights to expose a vast industrial scandal. But as a woman in a man’s world, Hélène’s devotion to her career comes at a life-threatening cost.

Dark and compelling, witty and vivid, and filled with surprising reversals and cliffhangers, The Silence and the Rage is the story of one remarkable family against the backdrop of France during one of its most thrilling and volatile periods.

Critic reviews

“A social novel that tells the story of the transformation of the old France and magnifies what we love about Lemaitre: his storytelling eloquence, his language, his ironic dialogue, and the humanity of his characters.”—Le Parisien

“Lemaitre continues his thrilling saga of France in the twentieth century…With the virtuosity of a magician, he brings to life the hatreds, fears, and desires of the era.”—Le Nouvel Observateur

“A fraught but dynamic family, grown children struggling for emancipation, fragile traditions about to be shaken up…The tone is lively, often funny. The chapters are pacy…Lemaitre’s fans will recognize here his obsessions: the body, desire, a damaged childhood, legitimacy, and revenge.”—Le Monde des Livres

“Great art…Lemaitre’s books combine narrative efficiency with the pleasures of embracing history through its blind spots.”—Le Figaro

“Lemaitre takes us into the upheavals of an era, particularly when women begin to move from silence to anger…A devastating seduction.”—Le Point

“Terrific…The Pelletier family is a web of contradictions rich in narrative possibilities.”—Le Soir

Boring.

Uninteresting characters doing uninteresting things. A real disappointment after the previous books in the series. Not recommended.