Ernaux begins her book recounting the Sunday in June when her father tried to kill her mother. Working around this event, she chronicles her life in the year it occurred, 1952- from her schooling with the nuns, home life, and growing up Ernaux attempts to construct a picture of the shame she felt to be herself. Confronting and honest, this is Ernaux at her best.

‘My father tried to kill my mother one Sunday in June, in the early afternoon.’

Annie Ernaux’s Shame, translated from French by Tanya Leslie, opens with the directness readers have come to expect from her work. Ernaux was twelve when she witnessed her father’s attempt to kill her mother. This traumatic event divided her life into before and after as she ‘waited for the scene to be repeated.’ It did not happen again, but the expectation compounded the shame that Ernaux ‘began living in.’

Shame is Ernaux’s exploration of the aftermath of that June 1952 afternoon as she tries to understand why shame was her overriding reaction. Shame is not an easy emotion to share with other people. Or yourself. Ernaux spent years downplaying shame’s impact on her life and relationships. Her relationship with her parents, but since shame is far-reaching, it impacts every relationship. It was not always to the same degree or in obvious ways, but it was under the surface.

Yet, shame thrives in silence. It convinces us that no one will understand. It tricks us into thinking we are alone. As Ernaux discovers through confronting her shame, people may not completely understand your experience, just as you may not fully understand theirs, but that does not mean we are alone. Or that shame is something we can never shake.

In Shame, Ernaux carefully excavates her trauma, interrogates her memories, and shows people’s shame is interlinked, regardless of our differing root causes. I used excavates deliberately because, to the reader, it feels like Ernaux is removing layers of earth to uncover the core of what makes us human. I highly recommend it!

I'm a fan of Annie Ernaux's writing and certainly enjoyed this new addition to her oeuvre of works translated into English. Blending memoir and reflective essay with an uncannily accurate gaze of her contemporary society, Shame is another wonderful short Ernaux. I particularly enjoyed her musings on the emotion of shame and the way it sits with certain people, which I think was the strongest part of this.

Thanks to Fitzcarraldo and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Shame" by Annie Ernaux is a raw and unflinching memoir that dives into the emotions and memories surrounding a past affair. Ernaux's storytelling is poignant and emotionally charged.

One of the reasons why Ernaux's writing is so powerful is her skill in capturing the essence of the human condition, which resonates with readers from all walks of life, enabling them to form a deep personal connection with her stories. Through her unique blend of introspection and relatability, Ernaux’s writing becomes a mirror through which we can see our own lives reflected.


Shame is a powerful and deeply ingrained emotion that can have a profound and lasting impact on one’s identity, often shaping how individuals view themselves and how they believe others perceive them. In this short memoir, Ernaux examines how one dramatic childhood experience of domestic violence within her family forever altered her perception of herself and her place in society, and further intensified her feelings of shame, making it impossible for her to conform to societal expectations.


Ernaux vividly portrays the social customs of her village, which adds to her sense of shame and alienation. The inflexibility of the Roman Catholic Church in her community only exacerbated her feelings of not belonging. The rigid expectations and moral standards imposed by the church clashed with Ernaux’s own experiences and desires, deepening her sense of shame. Furthermore, she takes the time to reflect on the discomfort and uncertainty she faced during puberty, a significant and transformative period in the life of any individual. The physical and emotional changes she experienced only served to intensify her sense of shame, leaving her feeling disconnected from her peers and incapable of conforming to societal norms, ultimately leading her to feel like an outsider, unworthy of acceptance. This internalized shame not only affected Ernaux’s relationships but also hindered her personal growth and pursuit of her dreams.


Shame is a painful emotion. However, it can serve as a wake-up call, motivating individuals to have a deeper understanding of themselves, make positive changes in their behaviour and strive for personal development.

After reading 'The Years' by Annie Ernaux I was fascinated by the title of her memoir and I wasn't disappointed. It was a beautifully written memoir that I couldn't put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read Annie Ernaux before and this made me want to read more of her work, I liked the still memoir that explored ideas of shame and the body and how this relates to class and gender and Catholicism. i also liekd the meta aspect of it, where Erneaux was taking about how recalling a memory changes it and the practice of being a writer when one is looking at their own life. However, I did think that despite being so short this book was a little dull, and I have heard from others that it is not her best, so I will be looking to other work of hers.

I usually love anything by Annie Ernaux but this one was a huge miss for me. The opening sentence packs a punch and I was expecting huge thinks but it just went down hill from there, it was flat and I struggled to persevere to the end.

Thanks ever so much to @fitzcarraldoeditions for sharing this title with me on @netgalley!

Shame by Annie Ernaux, published by @fitzcarraldoeditions

You just can't go wrong with a bit of Annie. Whilst not my favourite one of hers, her astute and poignant recollections make for great reading, even when the main themes are incredibly bleak. I love that even though she's gone on to become a literary icon, rightly revered worldwide, she still comes across as such a normal girl in her infancy and teenage years. I simply couldn't hack reading about a pretentious, mightier than thou child. Annie, you're great.

3/5

I am a huge Annie Ernaux fan and have loved her other work but unfortunately this one did not hit the mark for me. I felt the blurb didnt explain the book and I didnt find the story or plot particularly intriguing.

I discovered Annie Ernaux a couple of months ago, when I read I Remain in Darkness and absolutely loved it and was immediately starved for more of her works. Her works are mainly autobiographical, depicting her own experiences as a woman in France trough different times of her life.

Shame specifically explores the summer of 1952, specifically one Sunday: »My father tried to kill my mother one Sunday in June, in the early afternoon. « (What an opening line!). Annie Ernaux explains that while her memory of that time is as fuzzy as a couple of photographs she has from that year she remembers this moment vividly because it entirely changed her life. Continuing on Ernaux explains the atmosphere of her small country-side home town, her parents business, the people there, her catholic private school and the girls she meets there. She explains how her upbringing served as a differentiating factors in many moments of her life, where the quaint small town mentality, where everyone worries what everyone else thinks, your business is everybody else's business and everything you do is harshly critiqued, makes a big impact on a young girl.

»The worst thing about shame is that we imagine we are the only ones to experience it. «

Shame becomes a vicious circle, where Annie assumes, that once it starts it will never finish and that she is entirely alone in it, yet it is something we all experience.

It is no secret, that Annie Ernaux has a way with words. The writing style is simple yet very quotable, Ernaux explains everything so intricately that you can't help but marvel at her experiences and what she has learned. In this book she shares immense wisdom and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free eARC in exchange for a review!

I’ve read 8 of Annie Ernaux’s books by now and I love her work. I love how she makes the intimate and personal universal, I love how exact she is with her memories, while at the same time acknowledging that memory is fallible. Happening, I Remain in Darkness, The Years, A Frozen Woman, A Girl’s Place, magnifique 😚 Shame… didn’t do it for me 😭

The first line had me thinking I was in for another Ernaux treat - ‘My father tried to kill my mother one Sunday in June, in the early afternoon.’ Following this gut-punch of a first line, she goes on to dissect the social and cultural milieu of the year this event occurred. This is sort of like what she does with The Years, except there’s none of the intimacy. I found myself bored and drifting during explanations of her town’s social hierarchy and her Catholic school’s strict rules. I perked up a little when she began to weave in how shame began to taint certain aspects and events of her life during this time, but by this point the 92-page book was practically over.

Tanya Leslie has, as usual, done a marvellous job with the translation - it’s just that the content itself was a little dull 😅 If you’re new to Ernaux, I’d recommend Happening or A Girl’s Story instead as a place to start!

I loved the descriptions of the author’s small hometown and what small town life was like in 50s France! The book could drag at times but it didn’t last very long. This is a short and quick read that can be finished in one day!

Ernaux talks about her family, specifically a scene in which her father nearly murders her mother at the age of 12. She also talks about working at her family business, their community, her religious education, adolescence/puberty, all glimpses into her life during her 12th year. I thought it was interesting to focus on these subjects as they all revolve around (and lightly touch) on the feelings of shame!

I was expecting more about Ernaux’s family incident and the aftermath, since this moment was the main starting point for the story. I would’ve been interested to learn more about her family life both before and after, how things changed, etc.

The ending felt a bit abrupt but from what I understand, each of her books is about a different portion of her life so maybe that’s why for Shame, the ending is left open because it’s leading into her other works. I’d definitely be interested to read more from Ernaux as I loved her lyrical writing! Plus from her other book synopsis’ they also discuss the idea of shame, as Ernaux stated that following the incident she forever feels a sense of shame.

First published in the 90s, Shame starts with Ernaux’s recollection of an event that took place in 1952 when she was just 12 years old. Annie witnessed her father trying to kill her mother.

This is a fleeting moment of aggression that is all but forgotten by her parents shortly thereafter. But for Ernaux, it leaves a terrible, pervasive feeling of shame.

Ernaux examines in detail her life and the town she lived in in 1952, the still life that surrounds the moment she was suddenly transposed into a different world, a different body now flooded with shame.

She talks with clipped precision about the family cafe, the unspoken social rules of “Y” (the town she lives in), the school day at the private school she attends but has no friends, a somewhat failed trip to Lourdes with her father.

Ultimately though, Ernaux comes back to this moment of violence.

“I have always wanted to write the sort of book that I find it impossible to talk about afterwards, the sort of book that makes it impossible for me to withstand the gaze of others. But what degree of shame could possibly be conveyed by the writing of a book which seeks to measure up to the events I experienced in my twelfth year.”

This is a short but engrossing examination of post-war Normandy, and the psychology of a child on the verge of adulthood.

Shame
by Annie Ernaux
Translated from the French by Tanya Leslie

Sometimes I wish that Fitzcarraldo would jazz up their covers a bit. I know we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but this is so drab and scholarly looking. Good job their publications are reliably to my taste.

This is my first encounter with this author and I like her thoughtful, direct and no frills writing.

'My father tried to kill my mother one Sunday in June, in the early afternoon.'

What an opener for a memoir! In going through a box of memorabilia, Ernaux comes across some photographs of her at age 12, which bring her down the rabbit hole through flashes of memories of cultural references, clothes, advertisements, songs and movies, back to her private Catholic schooling which began her journey of noticing disparities between her own upbringing and people to those of her peers.

Keenly aware that what she came from was lacking in sophistication, considered less intelligent, less gracious, made obvious by a cruder dislect and a level of comfort with casual violence, her self identity became inextricably marked by shame, a shame that is reinforced whenever she steps outside her natural environment.

'The worst thing about shame is that we imagine we are the only ones to experience it'

She uses a gentle humour to explore how this shaped the way she interacted with the world, and some of the consequences, however it is mostly this twelfth year of her life that she focuses on, so for me there isn't enough to call this a memoir. I understand it is part of a series, perhaps if I read it in its entirety I will feel like I have been on more of a journey with her. Because of the voice that reminds me so much of my mother's generation, and the light tone with interesting post war French setting, I will surely read on.

Publication date: 20th September 2023
Thanks to #NetGalley and #fitzcarraldoeditions
for an ARC

In this memoir Ernaux describes her 12th year, her family life, schooling and the town she lives in trying to make sense of an event that sticks in her mind. The opening sentence My father tried to kill my mother one Sunday in June, in the early afternoon. grabbed my attention.

Shame by Annie Ernaux is a short, powerful memoir that explores the author's experience of childhood shame. The book begins with the author's father trying to kill her mother, an event that will have a profound impact on the author's life. Ernaux writes about the shame she felt as a child, the way it shaped her relationships with her family and friends, and the way it continues to haunt her into adulthood.

Ernaux's writing is both unflinching and lyrical. She writes about her shame with a clarity and honesty that is both painful and illuminating. She does not shy away from the difficult aspects of her story, but rather confronts them head-on. This makes Shame a difficult but ultimately rewarding read.

One of the things that makes Shame so powerful is Ernaux's ability to capture the nuances of shame. She writes about the way shame can be both physical and emotional, the way it can manifest itself in both small and large ways. She also writes about the way shame can be isolating, the way it can make us feel like we are the only ones who are experiencing it.

“Shame” – Annie Ernaux (translated from French by Tanya Leslie)

“My father tried to kill my mother one Sunday in June, in the early afternoon.”

Powerful opening sentence, huh? This is how “Shame” begins, the latest part of Annie Ernaux’s memoire to reach me through @fitzcarraldoeditions – my thanks to them and @netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. This will be published 20th September if this review piques your interest.

Through the pivotal event mentioned above, Ernaux takes us through another part of her childhood, the year 1952, and her experiences growing up in a Catholic school while processing the fallout from seeing one parent threaten to end the life of another.

The worst thing about shame is that we imagine we are the only ones to experience it.



Anyone who has read Ernaux’s work in the past will know what to expect here – a deeply personal introspective into her life and most facets of it, similar to other works that Fitzcarraldo have published. As a fan, I once again enjoyed this slim yet powerful volume, another plunge into a poignant story that hits home precisely, another piece to the huge mosaic forming through this lifelong project.



Is this an essential piece? I wouldn’t say so, and I wouldn’t say that it’s where you should start the journey – for me, “The Years” is still her masterpiece. That said, if you’re already on the journey through Ernaux’s life, you should definitely add this to your collection.

Are you an Ernaux fan? Do you have a favourite? Let me know!

To be a memoirist of a calibre of Ernaux naturally requires that one have a wealth of experience from which to draw out these stories; told in unforgiving, uncompromising prose which drags the reader's eyes to the often ignored viscitudes of life.

This is the first Annie Ernaux I've read and I found it quite fascinating.

The title sums up pretty much the whole of this memoir. She sees her memory of her father trying to kill her mother as something that marks her out among her peers. But it is not just this that she feels brings shame to her family. Her school friends all seem to belong to a different class - are more worldly, more intelligent, just better. She feels intense shame in all aspects of her daily life, even to the point of believing herself damned for having chewed the host during communion.

Parts of the story are probably something that any of us could identify with. It's a very readable story and I zipped through probably a little too quickly. I shall, no doubt, go back and read it again and will make an effort to read more of Ms Ernaux's work.

Thanks to Netgalley and Fitzcarraldo for the advance review copy.