ONE OF THE TIMES' FAVOURITE NOVELS OF 2023

The first epic novel in THE GLORIOUS YEARS series from the two times winner of the prestigious Prix-Goncourt

'You have the ingredients Balzac would have cooked with. And it is exactly those great 19th century novels that Lemaitre will remind you of' Sunday Times

The Pelletiers are a prominent French family living in Beirut, dominated by Louis, who has built a hugely successful business manufacturing artisanal soaps. Louis has three sons, but none seems to have the aptitude for commerce he desires.

There's Jean, the eldest, a feckless man who is both lazy and weak. When his ambitious wife suggests a move to France, he jumps at the chance for escape - for Jean has a secret that no-one must ever uncover.

Etienne is the youngest son, who travels to Saigon looking for love, and there uncovers financial corruption and violence linked to the very highest officials - evidence that presents a real threat to his own life.

François, the middle Pelletier brother, leaves for Paris and becomes a journalist. When he reports a shocking and brutal murder, he realises he's uncovered the work of a dangerous serial killer, one who may be very close to home.

Absorbing, colourful and rich with no-holds-barred detail, THE WIDE WORLD is a terrific novel of greed, blackmail, and shocking crime.

'Literature with conviction; a furious talent' L'Obs

The Wide World is one of his best . . . Compellingly plotted, stuffed with great characters, thought-provokingly situated in history * The Times *
Pierre Lemaitre skilfully captivates and stuns the reader * Le Figaro Litteraire *
Storytelling with never a dull moment * Le Figaro *
Lemaitre casts his net wide, skilfully contrasting the vibrancy, exoticism and dangerous excitement of Saigon and Beirut in the years after the second world war with the drab, careworn city that Paris has become * Financial Times *

Pierre Lemaitre was born in Paris in 1951. He worked for many years as a teacher of literature before becoming a novelist. He has won the Crime Writers' Association International Dagger three times, once alongside Fred Vargas, for Alex, and twice as sole winner for Camille and The Great Swindle. In 2013 The Great Swindle (published in French as Au revoir là-haut won the Prix Goncourt, France's leading literary award. In addition to his Brigade Criminelle novels starring Commandant Camille Verhoeven, Lemaitre writes standalone thrillers including Blood Wedding. Frank Wynne is an award-winning writer and translator. His previous translations include works by Virginie Despentes, Javier Cercas, Mathias Énard, Michel Houllebecq and Pierre Lemaitre. He chaired the jury of the 2022 Booker International. Most recently his translation of The Art of Losing won the 2022 Dublin Literary Award.