Wife. Mother. Daughter. Killer.
‘You can’t stop reading, even as you want to look away’ New York Times
Life is going well for Marie. She and her husband, Laurent, live a comfortable life in a large apartment in the eleventh arrondissement in Paris. Laurent has a good job at a big law firm and Marie enjoys her work at a bank, where she feels appreciated by her clients and colleagues.
Comfortable and secure, and ready for family life, the couple begin to try for a baby. But not long afterwards Marie experiences a shocking encounter which threatens to derail their plans completely, and her world slowly starts to fall apart.
Less than two years later, the family’s apartment is cordoned off by police tape as forensic officers examine a horrific scene in the family apartment. Three bodies around a dining table. Marie, Laurent and their little toddler, Thomas, in his high chair. All three of them have been poisoned by Marie.
This Little Family is a dark and furiously compelling novel about women, power and control, from a bright young star in French literature.
Inès Bayard was born in Toulouse, France, in 1991. She lived and studied in Paris for several years before relocating in 2017 to Berlin, where she is currently based. This Little Family is her first novel.
*Trigger Warning: Contains rape*
Wow! This is one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. What an amazing book for your first release as well!
This opens with a scene of devastation, Marie has poisoned herself, her husband and her infant son at the dinner table. The rest of the book takes us back from the beginning, with Marie and her husband happy and excited to start a family and then the devastation of Marie’s rape which she doesn’t share with anyone and the tragic toll it takes on her mental health. Its harrowing, dark and traumatic both from the perspective of someone living it but also for the reader.
Bayard makes some excellent commentary with lots of subtle questions, do we care for the pregnant mother as much as for the unborn child, nobody seems to ever ask if Marie is alright despite it seeming obvious that she is struggling. Marie is continually paranoid that someone else will know what has happened and will call her out on it, partly fear of them finding out and no doubt she would feel relief at being able to share and have some of the pressure taken from her.
This has some very graphically described scenes that are difficult to read. You will question why she has done things or not and wondered or thought of what you might do in such a horrific situation. Definitely a difficult read, not only covering Marie’s rape but also the neglect of her son and the oblivious nature of those around her.
This is a brilliantly written book, well thought out plot, difficult subject matter and a devastating ending. A harrowing take on how life can change in an instant with long-lasting consequences.
| Title | This Little Family |
| Author | Ines Bayard |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | Kindle |
| Page Count | 139 Pages |
| Genre | Mystery and Thriller |
| Publisher | Fourth Estate |
| Release Date | 24th April 2020 |
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