Description
L’Affaire by Diane Johnson is a witty contemporary novel that blends romance, social satire and an unexpected mystery against the glamorous backdrop of the French Alps.
Amy Hawkins, a Californian who has made a fortune in the dot-com boom, travels to France in search of sophistication and perhaps a romantic adventure to shake up her comfortable life. At a luxurious Alpine resort, she finds herself among aristocrats, wealthy holidaymakers and complicated family dynamics. But when an avalanche sweeps away two hotel guests, the crisis brings Adrian’s sprawling family together, with its legitimate and illegitimate children scrambling to protect their own interests.
As Amy gets drawn into the unfolding drama, her status as an American outsider becomes both a disadvantage and an unexpected advantage. Her attempts to help set off a chain of events that exposes the differences between British, American and French customs, laws and attitudes.
Sharp, playful and full of cultural misunderstandings, L’Affaire offers a satirical look at privilege, romance and national identity, with a lively cast of characters caught between desire and self-interest.
