“I remember the movement of his hips pressing against the pinball machine. This one sentence had me in its grip until the end. Two young men find each other, always fearing that life itself might be the villain standing in their way. A stunning and heart-gripping tale.” —André Aciman, author of Call Me by Your NameA New York Times Book Review Editor’s ChoiceThe critically acclaimed, internationally...

On an island off the coast of France, six teenagers come together for a summer of desire and discovery until one of them vanishes forever, leaving the rest with an enduring mystery.Tell me, do you know why the most beautiful love stories must always end badly?In the summer of 1985, on a scruffy resort island off the coast of France, six teenagers—five boys and one girl—band together for a final golden season before adulthood. Their days are drenche...

"Perfect reading for a heatwave . . . Doomed youth, simmering desire and 100-proof nostalgia is what Besson does—and he does it very well." —The Times (UK)From the author of the international bestseller Lie with Me, a “prismatic…moving” (Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review) novel set on an island off the coast of France, following a group of teenagers and the sudden disappearance of one of their number, leaving the rest with an endurin...

From the author of the international bestseller Lie with Me comes the tale of an affair between an aristocratic teenager and a soldier, as they discover the possibilities and perils of first love.Summer, 1916. With German Zeppelins on the skyline, the men of Paris are off at war. For Vincent, sixteen and still too young to fight, this moment of dread is also a moment of possibility. An electrifying encounter with Marcel, an enigmatic middle-aged w...