‘Une Nuit Sans Aube’ by Benoît d’Halluin

‘Une Nuit Sans Aube’ (~ a night without dawn, German: Nacht ohne Morgen, translated by Paul Sourzac) by Benoît d’Halluin begins (almost) at the end: a young man named Alexis is run over on a bridge in the Catskills. On purpose.

The following chapters alternate between Catherine, who is still in Carquefou, and Marc, Alexis’s partner, who is coincidentally in France. Marc informs Catherine of the accident and arranges everything so they can travel together to see Alexis. Catherine, unaware of her son's queerness until her first contact with Marc, learns more about Alexis's life.

In between, the author recounts Marc and Alexis’s childhoods, their lives before, their traumas, and, finally, how they met.

I enjoyed this book, but the characters were too perfect in some ways (looks, education, success/money) while too flawed in others (traumas, communication skills, abuse). At times, the plot seemed unlikely, it was too extreme, the queer characters were too problematic. But still: it was a really good book!

CW: family rejection, sexual (child) abuse, domestic abuse, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, stalking