Fiction: Unforgivable by Philippe Djian

Described by the publisher as a literary thriller, French author Philippe Djian’s Unforgivable (Simon and Schuster) is definitely more the former than the latter, especially if pace and level of introspection is anything to go by.

Skillfully translated from the French by Euan Cameron, Unforgivable brings us into the life of Francis, a 60-year-old writer dealing with the disappearance of his daughter and the possible infidelity of his wife and muses, in a sense, on the very nature of forgiveness... and where it might be lacking.

Unforgivable was first published in France in 2009, where it was awarded the Le Prix Jean Freustié. The director André Téchiné (The Girl on the Train, Les Témoins) will begin work on a film version of Djian’s novel later this year.

Unforgivable is spare and lovely, a beautifully rendered portrait of a man in despair.