The life story of the author, Albertine Sarrazin, is just as interesting as the book itself. Astragal is a semi-autobiographical look at the life of a young woman, Anne, on the run from prison, who breaks her ankle in the leap over the prison wall and who falls in love with her rescuer, Julien.
I loved:
- Anne: a strong and devastating narrator with the perfect turn of phrase
- The similarities to Jean Rhys’ Good Morning Midnight which is part of the same genre: young women surviving Paris one Pernod at a time
- The introduction by Patti Smith at the start of the novel which told me more about Sarrazin’s own life and also reassured me that there are other people in the world who like to read sad books again and again
I didn’t love:
- I wanted more from the other women in the book who were all pretty awful
Would recommend it to:
Anyone who likes a love story with a healthy dose of cynicism.