Le blues des petites villes
(Little towns' blues) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
Sidonie hates her small home town and is desperate to move to the city for her studies. She is a solitary young woman who has always felt different from her classmates. One day, she gets talking to Rébecca, a girl in her class. They fall in love and spend an idyllic summer together to the rhythm of the blues and jazz Rébecca adores. But back in high school, the other pupils reject them as a couple. They face insults and teasing, until one day Sidonie can’t take it any more and lashes out.
Edited by: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Comment:
A touching love story with a message of tolerance and respect for others. Sidonie is a headstrong young woman with a strong sense of irony, but she loses her cool when her classmates treat her with scorn and disgust. She is forced to defend herself and turns violent. When she realises her parents disapprove of her relationship with Rébecca and want to separate the couple, she attempts suicide and is interned for a short time. The two teens are eventually reunited and the novel ends on a positive note, but they have to change schools to put the painful episode behind them. The challenging novel tackles homophobia and bullying in the classroom head on, but it ends with hope as Sidonie and Rébecca confidently begin the new chapter in their lives together.