安德鲁北京代表处

2016夏天，巴黎。莉亚（Leah）正值二十出头，她希望在巴黎“找到自我”，以此同时，她的朋友们则在家乡伦敦为自己打造更好的生活。她一时兴起，申请了一份兼职，为一位作家工作，而那位作家正是和莉亚一样同为侨民的迈克尔•扬（Michael Young）。他曾是文坛的一颗耀眼的新星，然而，多年来，他再也没有写过任何东西，虽然如此，他坚信莉亚会对他有所帮助。他让她朗读他的旧日记，她因为这份工作，来到他位于法国南部的乡村别墅，和他的家人一起共度了一段时光。

通过这些日记，莉亚了解了迈克尔在牛津的早年生活，以及20世纪60年代末他在伦敦度过的那段荒唐的生活，他如何遇见了阿斯特丽德（Astrid）——一个天真无邪的女孩，他的缪斯女生，至少他自己是这样认为的——并对她展开了追求。他们后来结了婚，一起离开了索霍区，前往阳光明媚的雅典，虽然雅典当时处于军事独裁政府的统治之下，他们让然在那里享受了美好的生活。但是后来阿斯特丽德消失了，她从迈克尔的故事和生活中消失了。随着迈克尔和他的老朋友们长期以来一直保守的秘密逐渐暴露，事件的真相也开始变得扑朔迷离，而莉亚在重温这一事件时所扮演的角色，也变得越发令人不安。

这是一个关于欲望、权利和火热的在男性视角下的令人兴奋、引人入胜的故事，它也对课堂、记忆和讲故事本身进行了思考。

1. The European and The Herald pick their top reads of the summer, and also a recommendation from  Irish Examiner columnist Louise O’Neill. 

‘Another anticipated debut in which Londoner adrift in Paris Leah responds to an enigmatic advertisement placed by a writer seeking an assistant. Travelling to the south of France she finds herself spending a summer transcribing the memoirs of his debauched years spent in 1960s Soho and finding there may me more to him than she first assumed.’ – The European

‘Travelling to the south of France, Leah begins transcribing diaries that chronicle Michael's debauchery in 1960s Soho, soon realising there is more to this seemingly burnt-out author than she first envisaged.’ – The Herald

Francesca will also be taking part in the ‘Summer Series’ of live events at the recently opened London bookshop, BookBar, as reported in the Bookseller (attached).

‘Francesca Reece's sizzling summer debut is a one way ticket to the South of France, filled with the long drives and stolen glances across swimming pools.’ – Esquire

‘From Paris to the South of France, with narrative strands that wind beautifully through London’s Soho and the hot streets of Athens, Voyeur seems as though it may be your standard airport novel…. But Francesca Reece’s stirring debut is much more than the sum of its wanderlust parts.’ – Harper’s Bazaar

VOYEUR has been selected as a staff pick at the famous English-language Paris bookshop, Shakespeare & Co. Here is what the booksellers, including the owner Sylvia Whitman, are saying (also attached):

Voyeur begins as an incredibly smart and funny satire on being an expat in Paris and then develops into much more. Leah, a young woman, and Michael, a just past middle-aged man, take turns narrating the story whose trajectory changes just as much as the voices of these two characters. It asks the question of who is allowed to tell their story and how the past impregnates the present with meaning. -Nathan

I felt this story was somewhere beautifully placed between Bonjour Tristesse and The Talented Mr Ripley and at the same time its own very piercing, gripping, witty creation. – Sylvia Whitman

Absolutely brilliant, creeping suspense building against the heat of the Mediterranean. I’ll be telling everyone to read it this summer. –Abigail