The Readers' Room (eBook)

Antoine Laurain (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
138 Seiten
Pushkin Press (Verlag)
978-1-80533-356-2 (ISBN)

Infos

When the manuscript of a debut crime novel arrives at a Parisian publishing house, everyone in the readers' room is convinced it's something special. And the committee for France's highest literary honour, the Prix Goncourt, agrees. But when the shortlist is announced, there's a problem for editor Violaine Lepage: she has no idea of the author's identity. Yet there are clues in the book that point to a close connection with her own life. As the police begin to investigate a series of murders strangely reminiscent of those recounted in the book, Violaine is not the only one looking for answers - but with her memory impaired after an accident, she might be the last to find them.

Antoine Laurain was born in Paris and is a journalist, antiques collector and award-winning author of ten novels, including The Red Notebook and The President's Hat. His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris, France.

Textauszug

PART II

‘I’ve heard good things about you.’

This was how Charles had greeted Violaine as he welcomed her into his office at the publishing house, more than twenty years ago now. With his habitual smile, he invited Violaine to sit on the sofa before taking his place beside her. He ran his hand through the silver-streaked blond hair that fell over his brow then briskly smoothed down the little moustache that made him look like a British colonel. At almost sixty years of age, Charles was the fourth generation to run the family publishing house. Charles held every key and pass, every code to every door, gate and turnstile of the publishing world into which he had been born. Violaine was barely twenty and wore her hair long and loose, but it was her delicate features and green eyes that would help her to make her mark.

‘I take it Bernard brought you back from Normandy with him? How clever of him to agree to that signing in Rouen! I always encourage my authors to take up invitations from booksellers,’ Charles said with a knowing smile.

At the time, Violaine was working weekends at a large bookshop in Rouen, fitting shifts around her literature degree. The disadvantage, or advantage, of universities is their lack of concern for their students: if those enrolled on the course don’t show up to lectures there’s no admonishment, no letter home to the parents, no search party sent out. It’s only at the end of the year that the consequences are felt, if you don’t pass your last modules or turn up to your few exams.

University is the perfect place to pass under the radar – to go incognito. To disappear.

Violaine had entered the bookshop after reading an advert taped to the glass door: ‘Bookseller wanted, enquire within’. Following a brief interview, she was taken on that week. Her salary and university grant were just enough to rent a tiny attic room in an apartment block in the old part of Rouen. She was soon put in charge of bookshop events. Violaine was a quick reader and enjoyed talking to authors, most of whom were more than happy to have a smiling, pretty young woman escort them around the bookshop.

Bernard Ballier was a bestselling historical novelist. Readers devoured his stories set in Henri IV’s Paris or Murat’s Naples and felt better informed afterwards, since everything he wrote, whether depicting great historical events or scenes of daily life, was the fruit of the scrupulous research for which he was renowned. It was a reputation built on a lie, however, since he was actually assisted by an entire team of students – paid peanuts – and historical consultants handsomely rewarded for their discretion. Yet this trade secret was known only to his publishers; his readers would never be any the wiser. Affable, sure of himself, and a consummate ladies’ man, Bernard Ballier had rounded off his signing session at the bookshop by asking Violaine, ‘Fancy dinner?’ She had accepted and after an evening at Restaurant La Couronne they had walked the streets of Rouen until, sure enough, their footsteps led them to the entrance of the hotel where the writer was staying.

Two hours later, Ballier was propped up on the pillows of the king-size bed, drawing on his cigarette.

‘You’re a remarkable girl. I’d go so far as to say quite exceptional in every way. What a shame you don’t live in Paris, we could have had a proper affair.’

‘Take me with you,’ Violaine replied, heading into the bathroom.

‘What about your studies? Your work?’

‘A literature degree? That’s not going to get me anywhere. I don’t want to teach. And as for the bookshop, I don’t want to stay there my whole life. Will you take me? I just need to have a shower and get dressed and I’ll be ready. Let’s go,’ she declared as casually as possible, but with a distinctly daring look in her eyes.

‘How much do you earn? Where do you live?’ Ballier played along, giddy at the idea of packing up his latest conquest with his luggage the next morning.

Violaine revealed her modest salary and described her lodgings as ‘mouse-sized’.

‘I can find you another mousehole. As for money, I’ve an idea.’ He paused to let a puff of tobacco smoke disperse before asking, ‘Have you ever heard of a readers’ room?’

Charles was smiling as he said, ‘Bernard would like me to hire you as a reader in our manuscripts department. We have a vacancy. Do you have any experience of reading manuscripts?’

Violaine shook her head.

‘The aim of the game is to find the best writing, but that’s not all …’ he added, stroking his moustache again.

‘By which you mean …?’ asked Violaine.

‘By which I mean …’ Charles went on calmly, ‘that it’s very disagreeable to see a rival publisher topping the bestseller lists with a novel we too received in manuscript form …’

‘And you didn’t sign the author up because you didn’t rate their work highly enough.’

‘Exactly – very good. And that has happened too often recently.’ He frowned. ‘What you need is a kind of radar, one that swings between literary quality and commercial potential. It’s not easy, I’ll grant you. You’ve come from a bookshop, perhaps you have a clearer idea than most of what I’m trying to say.’

‘Very clear, yes.’

‘In that case,’ he said warmly, ‘Bernard was right to send you my way.’ He looked Violaine in the eye. ‘You have to go fishing if you want to find pearls.’ He smiled. They both fell silent before Charles added, ‘I’ll be frank: what does a pretty girl like you see in Bernard Ballier?’

Violaine appeared to search for the answer on the ceiling before her gaze fell on Charles.

‘He was able to bring me to Paris. And he’s got money.’

‘Now that’s what I call honesty – I like it!’ exclaimed Charles. ‘And those are the only reasons you slept with him?’

‘Yes,’ Violaine replied matter-of-factly. ‘If you like, I can sleep with you too.’

Charles sat wide-eyed before bursting out laughing.

‘I can tell I’m going to like you, Mademoiselle Lepage. But not in that way,’ he clarified. ‘I’ll let you into a secret, not that it is one.’ He leant towards her and whispered in her ear, ‘I like boys.’

‘Shame – you’re much better-looking than Bernard.’

‘Thank you, my dear,’ Charles replied, flattered, pushing his hair off his brow.

The rating system of the manuscript service soon became the language of Violaine’s everyday life: numerous squares, a few moons and a sun that was to shine very brightly indeed upon its release, putting smiles on the faces of Charles and every member of the accounts department. Her arrival in the readers’ room had not caused any ill feeling among her colleagues. Violaine was living in a studio flat belonging to Bernard Ballier which he went to occasionally to write, away from his wife and children. Since Violaine had come to Paris, he had felt the need to work in peace rather more often. After a year, Ballier and Violaine’s relationship began to sour. He was annoyed at the way she relied on him to keep giving her handouts, while she resented him keeping her cloistered away at his pleasure. Eventually Ballier ended it and gave her two months to move out.

‘I can’t stay in the manuscript service or in Paris. I have to move back to Rouen,’ she announced to Charles one morning.

‘Out of the question,’ was Charles’s calm yet firm response. ‘Have you lost your protector?’ he added, smoothing his moustache.

‘You could say that,’ Violaine said vaguely. ‘This city is too expensive, I can’t afford to live here, Charles. I need to find a job …’

‘You’ve got a job here,’ he cut in.

‘You know very well I can’t live off it, still less pay rent.’

‘Come and live with me, then,’ Charles said decisively. Then he returned to the letter he was writing.

‘Sorry?’

‘Two hundred and fifty square metres,’ he reeled off without looking up. ‘A duplex apartment with views of the Seine and the Institut de France. Will that do? I live on my own, it’s too big. You can take a quarter for yourself. Take the afternoon off; we’re going to the hairdresser’s. I think a shoulder-length bob would suit you wonderfully.’

Violaine looked at him, unable to muster a response. More than the words, which brooked no argument, it was their calm delivery that stunned her. As if Charles had prepared for this conversation long ago, as if he had known all along what was going to happen. He had finished his letter with his swirly signature, his hand moving gracefully up and down on the page. Then he looked up at her.

‘It’s time we made something of you, Violaine.’

Charles had chosen himself a daughter in the same way he picked authors. Sometimes he poached them from rival publishers. Often it worked, but sometimes his efforts ended in failure: the authors simply didn’t want to leave their publisher and trusted editor, and Charles’s chequebook, promises of...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.1.2025
• Übersetzer: Jane Aitken, Emily Boyce, Polly Mackintosh
• Verlagsort: London
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror ► Krimi / Thriller
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Schlagworte: airplane accident • anonymous author • Antoine Laurain books • bookish mystery • books about books • books about editors • books set in paris • book within a book • Crime Novel • cultural critique • debut novel • Duchess of Cornwall favourite books • french books • french novels • Gallic books • Goncourt • Identity Crisis • Literary crime • literary mystery • literary thriller • Memory loss • murder investigation • Mystery • novels about books • novels about publishing • novels set in Paris • Paris • Parisian Publishing House • plot twists • Prix Goncourt • translated fiction • uplifting books • uplit • up-lit: easy reads • Violaine Lepage
• ISBN-10: 1-80533-356-9 / 1805333569
• ISBN-13: 978-1-80533-356-2 / 9781805333562