First Blood
by Amélie Nothomb
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Pub Date 4 May 2023 | Archive Date 18 May 2023
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Description
A gentle homage to the man who gave her life.
WINNER: Strega European Prize
“This book is a gem.”
—Le Parisien
“Amélie Nothomb at her best: cruel, tender and funny.”
—Télérama
“A book bubbling in delightful humour and exuberant vitality.”
—Le Figaro
The Republic of the Congo, 1964. A young man is facing a firing squad, preparing for his last moment on Earth. He reflects on his childhood with a distant mother, and the moments which have led to him finding himself staring death in the face.
Patrick Nothomb is a young diplomat, aged 28, when he is taken hostage with thousands of others in Stanleyville (now Kisangani) by rebels. Over the course of four months, Nothomb has negotiated with his captors each and every day, saving the lives of 1500 citizens.
Inspired by the life of her father, who died at the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, Amélie Nothomb slips into his shoes to give voice to his story.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781787704473 |
| PRICE | £14.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 112 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Nemra N, Reviewer
Oh Amélie Nothomb!! This is her tribute to his father who died during the pandemic. The first-person narrator of this book is his father and he chronicles his childhood and adulthood. It is absolutely brilliant, like most of Amélie Nothomb's books.
Anita S, Reviewer
The author pays a beautiful tribute to her father with this short novel.
The bittersweet, reflective narrative of his childhood years reminded me very much of Dickens: the great adventures of hungry children with troubled family relations. Some of them are hungry for food, others for love.
A short book full of life.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Europa Editions for an Advance Review Copy.
Molly K, Reviewer
An excellent little read. A tiny translated novel with plenty to say. Mostly focusing on a young boy’s suffering yet optimistic childhood. There isn’t a story out there like this.
A tribute to the author’s father which is full of life, poetry and tension. Worth a read.
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