Delicacy

by David Foenkinos

Overview

Reminiscent of novels by Nick Hornby, Muriel Barbery, and Jonathan Tropper,internationally acclaimed novelist David Foenkinosdelivers a heartfelt and deftly comedic tale of new love brightening the darkaftermath of loss—and of wounded hearts finding refuge in the strangest ofplaces. After her husband’s unexpected death, Natalie has erected a fortressaround her emotions—and Markus, clumsy and unassuming, will never be her knightin shining armor. Yet slowly but surely, an offbeat romance begins betweenthese two mismatched, complex souls, and contrary to everything Natalie knowsof affection, her perfect suitor may turn out to be love’s most unlikelycandidate—the fool, not the hero, who is finally able to reach her heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062004369
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/14/2012
Series:	P.S. Series
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

David Foenkinos is a French novelist and screenwriter. His novels have been translated into twenty-five languages and garnered ten awards around the world. Delicacy, which was first published in France, garnered nominations for all five major French literary prizes and has sold one million copies. David lives in Paris.

Editorial Reviews

Natalie and François’s perfect marriage is brought to a tragically abrupt end when François is hit by a car while jogging. Natalie mourns deeply for three months and then goes back to work, where she receives the unwanted attention of her boss, Charles. She makes it clear that she has no interest in him and seems to have no interest in men at all, until Markus, a Swedish man who works for her, reawakens her desire. After a kiss in the office, the two begin seeing each other. She likes Markus because he’s funny and doesn’t try to pressure her, and Markus can’t believe his luck at landing the most beautiful woman at work. But word of their affair soon spreads around the office, reaching Charles, who hatches a plan to promote Markus back to Sweden, leaving Natalie all for himself. Foenkinos’s first novel to be translated into English is delicate, funny, offbeat, and subtle, with Markus and Natalie as unlikely but realistically drawn protagonists. Foenkinos paces the novel well, breaking it up with songs, lists, footnotes, and other formal elements reminiscent of Nick Hornby or Rick Moody yet making them his own. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Lighthearted and offbeat, [DELICACY] serves up a mostly frothy dish of romance, lost love, new hope, and typically Gallic sensibilities . . . [a] thoughtful, character-driven novel.

Booklist

An extraordinary combination of emotional depth and lightness of touch that sometimes approaches the whimsical without ever tipping over into the twee.

Sydney Morning Herald

Foenkinos infuses the perfect amount of humor into this unorthodox love story . . . . His prose conjures up the comic neurosis of Woody Allen . . .A delicious chocolate truffle of romance.

Washington Post

A more whimsical, less knowing variation on David Nicholls’s blockbuster One Day . . .immensely likeable, unexpectedly compelling.

Irish Times

Foenkinos infuses the perfect amount of humor into this unorthodox love story to temper its tragedy. At times, his prose conjures up the comic neurosis of Woody Allen…The novel isn't flawless…Still, this is a delicious chocolate truffle of romance.
—The Washington Post

Sarah Pekkanen